Finding Hope again
by lizziemarie0529
Summary: While celebrating six months of being clean and sober, there is a terrible accident and Nosedive ends up paralyzed from the waist down. Will the team be able to help him with this set back, or will Nosedive just end up loosing faith and hope.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Yes it is me again, and I brought chapter one of my three part series with me. If you think part two was bad, just wait till all of you see what I have in store for Nosedive in this story. Well enough of me enjoy people and you all know what you have too do.**

" Now before we start today's session, I see a lot of new faces, so why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves and that way everyone will be comfortable while we are al here."

All the teens nodded in agreement, while the director of the meetings, turned to his left and smiled at the teen.

" Would you mind if you went first?"

The boy looked around the room, then gave a deep breath and made sure he was sitting up straight, before he began.

" Hi…my name is Nosedive Flashblade and I am a recovering alcoholic and drug addict."

Dr. Miller smiled at the young teen.

" And tell us…how long have you been clean and sober?"

Nosedive smiled with pride, while he answered.

" I have been clean and sober for six months."

Every teen in the room clapped for him, except one.

" Did you get clean for yourself or for your family?"

Nosedive looked at the boy and raised an eyebrow.

" Excuse me?"

The boy stood up and stared at Nosedive right in the eye.

" I said…did you get clean for yourself or for your family?"

" Both….I guess."

" Did they force you or did you go willingly?"

" They forced me….but I'm grateful for that."

The strange boy was creeping Nosedive out and he was making him feel very vulnerable.

" And let me guess…they trust you now right?"

Nosedive shrugged.

" Well here's a little tip for yah…they still don't trust you. When your not home, they go through your stuff….they are expecting to find something. Oh and one more thing…they didn't off to the clinic to get help….they sent you away because you were embarrassing them and they didn't want you around….in fact they still don't want you around."

With that said, the teen walked out of the room, leaving everyone, including Nosedive, very confused and upset.

Two hours later, Wildwing was sitting in the living room, trying to find something to watch, when the teams manager, Phil Palmfeather and Nosedive walked into the room.

" Hey you guys are back….how was the meeting?"

Nosedive walked over to the one chair and leaned over it and shrugged while Phil have the older duck the " he needs to talk to his big brother" look.

" Well…I'll be in my office going over some of the paperwork for the upcoming season….call me when we figure out dinner."

Then Phil left the room, leaving the two brothers alone with their thoughts.

After a few minutes of silence, Nosedive walked over to the couch and sat down and laid his head down on his brothers shoulder.

Wildwing looked down and noticed this and at first he didn't want to say anything, but his baby brother wasn't usually this affectionate, so of course this drew up a red flag.

" What's with this? Your usually don't want this."

Nosedive looked up at his brother, as if he wanted to say something, but then as soon as he opened his mouth, he closed it and paid attention to the TV.

Noticing this, Wildwing took the remote and shut the TV off.

" Ok Dive….talk to me, what's going on?"

" Nothing…why?"

Wildwing raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

" Nosedive…."

The said teen sighed in defeat and stared at the floor and quietly mumbled.

" Do I embarrass you?"

" You have to lift your head up because I didn't hear you."

Taking a deep breath, the boy lifted his head.

" Do I embarrass you?"

Wildwing looked shocked and confused when he heard what his brother said.

" What….where did this come from?"

" Can you just answer the question please."

" No you don't embarrass me….."

' But what about the team….do I embarrass the team

The more stuff that came out of the teens mouth, the more Wildwing was getting confused.

" Dive….why are you asking me this?"

Tears started to form in the back of his eyes and before he knew it, he was sniffing.

" Wildwing….look at you….you're a all star athlete, a natural born leader, and a great team captain. Look at the entire team….every single duck on the team has wonderful qualities that make them top notch athletes and fighters."

As an older brother, Wildwing knew his brother was starting to get upset, but what worried him was that he still didn't really know why.

" You're right they all do, but Dive I still don't understand why you are getting so upset…."

Nosedive got up from the couch and started pacing back and forth.

" Look at everything I did….I drove a car through the arena….when I turn 21 I wont be able to have a drink in fear that I will get hooked again….I'm 17 years old and an alcoholic and drug user….I practically ruined my chances of going to any college because I'm not back in school yet….hell I'm still not even technically back on the team yet either!"

Wildwing walked over to the teen and pulled him back over to the couch.

" Ok…first off you have to calm down, before you make yourself sick….secondly I still have no clue where this came from, but your going to listen to me right now….yes you had a troubling year, but you are not an embarrassment to me or to this team at all. Every single member of this team, will do anything for you…and you know I would do anything for you as well. You are my baby brother and I love you with all of my heart and no matter what you do…that will never…EVER….change…do you understand."

Nosedive jumped into his brothers arms and gave him a big hug.

" Thanks Wildwing…you're the best big brother I could ever have!"

" Your welcome, and I'm your only big brother."

Laughing and giving his world famous " Im up too know good" smile, he looked around the room.

" Where is everyone?"

" They all went out for the day…why?"

Nosedive just smiled some more then took off running.

Shaking his head and laughing, because he knew what Nosedive was up too, Wildwing let the kid go and silently prayed he wasn't going to be home, when Mallory came back.


	2. Midnight Talk

**AN: First off I want to apologize for not updating sooner, I had major writers block, but I got through it YAY! Secondly, I am soooo sorry this chapter is a little short, but again I really didn't know what to write, so when I got this idea, I went for it, but I promise the next chapter will be a lot longer. Anyway please read and review and look for a new chapter by the end of the week. Peace. **

That night, after everyone went to sleep, Nosedive grabbed a blanket, snuck out of his room and made his way towards the roof.

When he reached his destination, he wrapped the blanket around him and just stared at all the city lights, that were surrounding him.

The teen was so caught up in the view, he didn't hear the door open and someone walking over to him.

" Its quite a sight huh?"

Nosedive turned around and spotted Phil, with two mugs of hot chocolate and a smile on his face.

Returning the smile, Nosedive took a mug then continued his staring.

" When things were really bad, at the clinic, I would always close my eyes and picture this view, in my head, and I knew that no mattered what happened there would always be a piece of home with me."

Phil walked over to the young duck and looked down at the crowd.

" Do you remember the first time we came up here ….I thought your brother was going to have a heart attack."

Nosedive started laughing at the memory.

" I remember, he searched the whole pond for an hour because he thought we ran off…I was grounding for the entire weekend and you couldn't sign us up for publicity stunts for a week."

After calming down from that trip down memory lane, Nosedive took another sip of his drink and sighed.

" What's on your mind kid?"

Nosedive looked over at Phil, and wondered if he should say something, but decided against it, however before he could stop himself, his mind did the talking for him.

" I still have urges…is that bad?"

Phil thought for a few minutes before he answered.

" No its not bad…I mean its not good, but its not bad either…it just depends on how you defeat the urges."

Nodding his head, Nosedive looked down and watched a truck drive past the arena.

" I just thought that after 6 months, I would be fine…but what if something happens, and I have a relapse…what if all of you send me away again, but this time…you wont want me to come home…."

Phil, grabbed the teen, by the shoulders, and forced him to look at him.

" Now I want you to listen to me right now…you will always be able to come home, no matter what happens…and if something does happen, and you have a relapse…then we will all deal with it, but that is not going to happen because you have the biggest support system and we will all be here for you."

Giving his manager a sad smile, Nosedive stared at the airplane, that was flying above them and thought back to a time when he almost gave up.

Flashback

" _Why…can't…I …stop…shaking?"_

_Dr. Monroe wrapped another blanket around Nosedive then joined him on the bathroom floor._

" _It's all part of the detox period, your body has to clean itself out, but I promise you…once its all over, you will feel better."_

_Nodding his head, Nosedive started rocking back and forth, hoping that would help, but instead off the movement made him nauseous and he ended up throwing up again._

_Once he was done, Dr. Monroe handed him a glass of water and started wiping his forehead._

" _I hate this…I want to go home….please let me go home."_

_The doctor held the sobbing teen for a few minutes when he thought of something._

" _You want to go home…then go home. Close your eyes and tell me what you see?"_

_Nosedive slowly pulled away, then closed his eyes._

" _I see…bright lights from all the nearby buildings, people walking and driving past the arena. I see Mallory running after me because I put green hair dye in her shampoo bottle."_

_Before the kid knew what was happening, his breathing started to even out and his heart rate went back to normal._

_When he opened his eyes, he looked over at the doctor who was smiling._

" _That's what I want you to do every time it gets tough….just close your eyes and imagine your home."_

End Flashback

" Nosedive….anyone home?"

Blinking a few times, the said teen turned towards his manager.

" You ok?"

" Yeah…just thinking that's all.

Smiling the teen stretched and looked up at the horizon and noticed the sun was slowly starting to come up.

" It looks like we stayed up here all night huh?"

Phil looked up and also noticed the changing sky.

" We should head down, before your brother sends the 109th after us."

Smirking, Nosedive grabbed the two mugs and headed towards the door, but stopped and gave Phil a hug.

" Thanks Phil."

Smiling, the manager returned the hug, with full force.

" Anytime kid."

Everyone was up when the missing teammates walked into the kitchen.

" Hey looked who decided to join the party."

Phil yawned while Nosedive stuck he tongue out at Duke.

Wildwing looked up and saw the tired looked duo and laughed.

" Up all night on the roof again?"

Both yawned which only caused Wildwing to laugh harder.

" Well since you didn't get any sleep, you can skip practice for the day so you can sleep."

Cheering Nosedive headed for his room, but stopped and walked back into the kitchen.

" Did you forget something?"

Ignoring Canard, Nosedive walked over to his brother, bent down, and gave him a hug.

Trying not to look surprised, Wildwing returned the hug.

" Hey….whats that for?"

Shrugging, Nosedive pulled away.

" Felt like it….I guess."

Then Nosedive and Phil headed towards their bedrooms to sleep, while leaving everyone confused.


	3. Celebrating gone wrong

**AN: I am so terribly sorry I made you wait for so long with an update.**

**I promise you will never have to wait this long ever ever again. And too make it up to all of you…I will be doing a double post. So sit back, relax, and enjoy.**

The next morning while the team was practicing for the new season, Phil was sitting in the stands working on some papers, when his cell phone went off.

" Phil Palmfeather here"

" Phil….this is Gary Bettman. How are you?"

Making sure the team wasn't watching him, Phil quietly slipped back into his office.

" I'm good sir. How are you?"

" I'm doing good. Listen the reason I am calling, I want to set up a meeting between you, Nosedive, and myself to talk about the upcoming season."

Trying very hard to contain his joy, Phil took a couple deep breaths to calm himself down.

" When would you like to schedule the meeting?"

" How about my office around 2 this afternoon."

Looking down at his watch then glancing towards the ice, Phil smiled.

" 2:00 sounds good."

" Great I look forward to seeing the both of you."

Then Gary hung up.

For about five minutes, the only thing Phil could do was just stand there, but then he came too, looked down again at his watch, and ran out of the office towards the ice.

Wildwing was trying to explain another play to the team when out of the corner of the eye, he saw Phil running down the stairs, with a huge smile on his face, and waving his arms frantically.

" You have to cancel practice….I need Nosedive…..Nosedive you have two hours to clean up, change clothes, and make yourself look decent…."

Nosedive looked at his teammates and shrugged, while Wildwing was trying to calm his manager down.

" Ok….Phil take deep breaths and calm down before you have a heart attack….now what's going on?"

" Gary Bettman called me and asked to set up an appointment with myself and Nosedive to talk about the new season!"

Nosedive jumped into the air and cheered, while the rest of the team smiled.

" What time does it start"

" He wants us there for 2."

Nosedive stopped cheering, grabbed his brothers hand and started dragging him off the ice.

" Dive where are we going?"

" I need help finding something to wear….I need to look professional."

Laughing Wildwing let himself be dragged off the ice, to help his brother.

An hour later, Phil and Nosedive, who was now wearing a dress shirt and tie, were sitting in the NHL office, waiting to be called into Gary's office.

" Stop fidgeting with your tie and please sit still…your starting to make me nervous."

Nosedive blushed and tried to sit still, but he couldn't.

" Phil…I just cant….I'm sorry."

Phil was about to respond when Gary's secretary walked over to them and showed them the way.

" Phil…Nosedive….please come in and have a seat."

After shaking hands, the player and manager sat in the two seats across from the desk.

" I'm sure you both are wondering why I brought you here, so lets get right too it."

Smiling, Mr. Bettman opened two files, that were sitting on his desk.

" As we all know the upcoming NHL hockey season will be starting next month and right now, if I know your brother, he has you and the rest of the team practicing night and day for the first game."

Nosedive laughed and nodded his head.

" You have no idea, he is such a slave driver."

Gary laughed and nodded his head.

" I'm going to tell him you said that. Now for the real reason I called this meeting….Nosedive I have here all your records from the doctors and the AA meetings."

Nosedive took a deep shaky breath and sat directly up in the chair.

" First off I want to say I am very proud of you….not a lot of teens can accomplish a clean and sober life and keep it that way. Secondly I know your court order says you have to attend 30 AA meetings and take 20 breathalyzer tests, but from what I have seen from these files…I am pleased to tell you….your suspension is over with and you are more than welcome to play in next months game."

Trying really hard to contain his joy and act professional, Nosedive slowly got up from the chair and shook Gary's hand.

" Thank you so much sir…you have no idea how much I appreciate this."

Gary and Phil, both got up, and shook hands.

" You are very welcome and you earned this. Now I scheduled a press conference for two days from now to announce the ending of the suspension."

After making all the final preparations for the upcoming week, Nosedive and Phil calmly walked out of the office and into the garage where the teen jumped right into Phil's arms.

" YES….THEY ARE GOING TO LET ME COME BACK….I GET TO PLAY AGAIN….I ACTUALLY GET TO PLAY AGAIN!

Laughing Phil hugged the thrilled teenager then slowly put him down while grabbing his phone.

" Hey Duke, I want everyone on the ice in 10 minutes. Yes everything is ok, just make sure the entire team is there!"

When he hung up the phone, the two guys grabbed hands, and started jumping around in a circle while shouting " I get you play again" over and over.

Once they got that out of their system, they both climbed into the car and started to head back to the pond.

" Hey Phil…do you think I can go out with Thrash and Mookie tonight to celebrate?"

" I don't see why not…why don't you give them a call and what they are doing for dinner and I will get you three a reservation at The Coral."

So Nosedive pulled out his phone and called his friends, while Phil made the reservations for the three friends.

" So did Phil tell you why he wanted us all here?"

" For the last time Wildwing, the only thing he told me was to gather the team and meet him and Dive on the ice."

" I wonder what's going on though?"

Canard walked over to his best friend and sat down, on one of the benches,

" I'm sure everything is fine, they prolly just want to tell us what happened with Bettman."

Mallory walked over to the pair and gave them a short smile.

" There is a chance he wont let Dive play this season…"

Tanya was about to respond to that, when the doors flew open and Nosedive ran into the room screaming at the top of his lungs.

" HE'S LETTING ME PLAY THIS SEASON….I GET TO PLAY….I GET TO PLAY!

Wildwing skated over to his brother and pulled him into a big hug.

" Congratulations baby bro….I am so happy for you!"

Duke and Tanya were the next ones to pull him into a hug.

" We are so proud of you. We knew you could do it!"

Wiping tears away, Nosedive sniffed and pulled everyone into a group hug.

" Thank you so much…all of you. If it wasn't for your support, who knows where I would be right now."

Canard wrapped his arm around the kids shoulder and smiled.

" You would still be here with us, while we tried to figure something else out."

Laying his head on the co-captains shoulder, Nosedive gave him a shy smile.

" Thanks Canard. Oh Wing…is that ok if I go out with Thrash and Mookie to party and celebrate."

Wildwing smiled and nodded his head then moved aside while the teen ran off in the opposite direction.

However if he actually knew what was going to happen in exactly an hour from now, he probably would have Nosedive locked in his room and vowed to never let him out.

Twenty minutes later, Nosedive, Thrash, and Mookie were finishing up their desert and talking about everything that happened.

" Man I am still so stoked for you…I am so looking forward to the new season, now more than ever."

" Thanks Thrash and believe me I know how you feel…I can't wait either."

Mookie took a sip of her drink, when she realized something.

" Hey Dive I just thought of something…what about school…have you heard anything from Mr. Stiener?"

Nosedive looked thoughtful for a minute then answered.

" No not yet…maybe I'll have Phil call him tomorrow to find something out, because there is only so much a person can do before going crazy…and man I think I am at that point."

Laughing the friends paid the check, which of course it was courtesy of Phil, and made their way towards the car.

" So Dive….this is your night, what would you like to do?"

" Yeah dude….the sky's the limit…you name it, we will do it."

Nosedive thought about it for a few seconds, when he smiled.

" Let's check out what's happening at the park…there are always either free concerts or movies playing."

Nodding in agreement, they hopped into the car and Thrash slowly pulled out of the parking lot, however he didn't make it very far because not even two seconds later a drunk driver lost control of his truck and slammed right into the passenger side of Thrash's car so fast, it caused the car to tip right over.

Back at the pond, Wildwing, Phil, and the team were getting ready to watch a movie, when Wildwing's cell phone went off.

" I wonder what Klegghorn wants….hello?"

" Wildwing it's me."

" What can I do for you captain?"

" I need you to head downtown towards the shopping district…there's been an accident."

**AN: I am so sorry for leaving it like this, but I didn't want to draw the chapter out too much longer, and just like I promised you can expect the next chapter tomorrow. Enjoy and I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.**


	4. Chaos and Pain

**AN: Thank you for all the reviews, I'm really happy everyone is enjoying this so far. Though this chapter is going to be a little graphic so if there are any kids reading this, I'm just warning you now. Anyway here is the next chapter so enjoy and you all know what to do. Byes.**

Captain Klegghorn hoped it was going to be a quiet evening. He had a good day and he was in a good mood, so he hoped it would stay that way. So here he was sitting in his office, drinking a good cup of coffee, and eating a good doughnut, when the call came in.

" Yeah what is it."

" You have to come downtown, there's been an accident. A drunk driver hit a car with three teens."

" Wonderful. Is there any injuries?"

" Yeah, but that's only one of the problems…."

" What's the big problem?"

" Nosedive Flashblade and his two friends were in the car that the driver hit, and all three of them don't look good at all."

Klegghorn paled when he heard this.

" Call an ambulance…I want those kids treated now…then call the hospital and tell them what happened….I want those damn doctors ready when they get there. Don't call his brother yet, wait for me to get there!"

Klegghorn slammed the phone down then ran out of the office and made his way downtown.

When the captain reached the accident, he saw the drunk driver sitting, in the backseat of a squad car, and he saw Thrash's car, on it's side.

" How come someone isn't trying to fix the car…I want those kids out of that car now!"

One of the officers, who was first on the scene, ran over to him.

" We called a tow truck sir, it should be here shortly."

" Those kids don't have shortly damn it…I want that truck here now Jackson…so make it happen!"

After barking out some more orders, Klegghorn walked over to the car. From what he was able to tell Nosedive's head was bleeding and he had a gash on his right arm, but what he was worried about was that his legs were both in an odd position. Thrash and Mookie also looked like they both had head injuries. Not realizing what he was doing, the captain walked over to the side of the car and started pushing, but stopped when he heard Officer Jackson scream.

" The tow truck is hear sir along with three ambulances."

Klegghorn stepped aside and ran over to the truck.

" It's about time you got here….fix that car now!"

While everyone was helping with the car, Klegghorn took a deep breath and pulled out his phone and made the call.

" Hey Wildwing….I need you to come downtown and bring Tanya. There's been an accident."

" Is he ok?"

" I don't want to say anything over the phone, so just get here. Oh and Wildwing hurry."

After hanging up the phone, Klegghorn noticed the car was now right side up so with four paramedics, he ran towards the teens.

At first Nosedive thought he was flying, which of course to a teenager, he loved the feeling, but then when the rush went away he felt something totally different…pain and lots of it too. He didn't know why he felt this, but it seemed like every time the boy tried to move, that's all he would feel.

Another thing he felt was something warm coming from his head, but he didn't know what it was.

" Nosedive…..Nosedive can you hear me….I need you to open your eyes for me!"

He recognized the voice, and he wanted to open his eyes, but for some reason he just couldn't and he didn't know why.

" Come on Nosedive….please for me….just open your eyes."

So after groaning and taking a small painful breath, the teen opened his eyes.

" Cap…tain…what happened."

" You were in an accident son, we are trying to get you out of the car now ok."

" Where….where….is Wildwing?"

" He's on his way…I promise."

Nodding his head, which was a bad idea because he felt like he was drunk Nosedive closed his eyes and grabbed Klegghorn's hand and waited.

Meanwhile

When Wildwing hung up the phone, he started shaking. He just couldn't believe this…..he didn't want to think this was even happening to them again.

" We have to get downtown….Nosedive was involved in a car accident."

Without saying another word, the team all jumped up and ran towards the garage.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to drive, Wildwing quietly handed Duke the keys and they drove off.

" Did he say what actually happened?"

Sighing the young duck shook his head.

" No all he told me was to hurry…oh stars why is this happening to us…I thought everything was turning back to normal."

Canard got up and walked over to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" Hey…everything is going to be ok. I'm sure when we get there, Nosedive is going to be standing around cracking a joke."

Hoping Canard was right, Wildwing said another silent prayer hoping Nosedive was ok.

" Nosedive I need you to do me a really huge favor….these guys are going to get you out of the car, but they have to use a chainsaw to open the door, so what I need you to do is try and take the seatbelt off and slide over so they don't cut you."

Gulping and trying to catch his breath, Nosedive managed to take the belt off, but wasn't able to move over.

" I…can't…move…my…legs…are stuck."

Rubbing his head and cursing under his breath, Klegghorn turned towards the fire fighters.

" His legs are stuck….is there anyway you can saw the door without touching him?"

" Yes we can do it."

Stepping over to the side, the captain watched them saw off the door, then turned his head and noticed two paramedics already waiting for the teen.

" You better take good care of him…do you hear me?"

Not knowing he was holding his breath, he sighed in relief when the door came off.

" Ok…captain why don't you go to his front while I take his legs and we get him out of this car….hi my name is Josh, what's your name?"

Nosedive slightly turned his head and smiled.

" Nosedive."

" It's nice to meet you Nosedive…now this is what we are going to do….with the help of your friend, we are going to get you out, but it's going to hurt ok….so when I say go I want you to take a deep breath ok."

Nodding his head, Nosedive tried to brace himself while Klegghorn and Josh positioned themselves.

" Ok Nosedive are you ready….one…two….three….go."

Taking a painful deep breath Nosedive cringed and started to cry, while they lifted him out of the car and onto a stretcher.

" Good job Dive…I'm proud of you."

Just then one of the other officers ran over to the group.

" Captain….the ducks arrived.

Klegghorn looked up and saw the Migrator pull up.

" Hey Dive guess what….your brother's here."

Giving a small smile, Nosedive took another small breath while, Josh started to wrap a neck brace around his neck.

When the ducks climbed out of the vehicle what they saw was complete chaos. Glass was all over the road, fire trucks and ambulances were surrounding the entire area, and police cars had the street blocked off.

Wildwing wanted to look for his brother, but for some reason he just couldn't move and the entire team sensed that, but no one really knew what to say to calm his mind.

Grin stared at his captain for a while waiting for instructions, but knowing he wasn't going to be getting any, he walked over to the young duck and sighed.

" It is alright to be afraid, however now is not the time to show it. Little friend needs us to be thinking clearly, if he sees that one of us, especially you, is afraid, then he will be more afraid."

Wildwing looked at Grin and smiled.

" You're right….so this is what we are going to do….Mallory….you and Tanya will find Mookie and be with her, I don't want her to be alone right now. Canard….you and Grin will find Thrash. Me, Duke and Phil will look for Dive and we will all regroup back at the hospital."

Nodding their heads everyone walked around to find their hurt friend.

However it didn't take the trio to find Nosedive because Klegghorn walked over to them 5 minutes later.

" From what the paramedics are telling me and from what we can see…he has a lot of cuts and bruising. Um they also believe he has some internal bleeding and they are 100 percent certain of a concussion due to the big gash on his head."

Wildwing paled and started to stagger a little.

" Where is he?"

" He's over there. They also put a neck brace on him just to be on the safe side."

Nodding his head, Wildwing, Duke, and Phil walked over to the teen.

Trying to calm his nerves, Wildwing grasped his baby brother's hand and gently squeezed it, which caused the teen to open his eyes.

" Hey baby bro."

" Wildwing…."

If he wasn't standing right next to him, he probably wouldn't have been able to hear him due to the fact the said teen was whispering.

" I'm right here kiddo….its ok."

" I…don't….feel….good."

" I know baby bro but they are going to help you feel better…I promise."

" My….body….really…hurts."

" Awe honey….it's going to be ok."

Nosedive took another small breath then closed his eyes.

" We are going to take them to the hospital now…would you like to ride with him?"

Wildwing nodded his head then turned to Phil and Duke.

" I'm going to stay with Dive…follow us, to the hospital, in the Migrator."

While the pair headed back towards their car, Wildwing bent down and gently kissed Nosedive's forehead, then softly said a prayer while he let the tears flow.

" Please let him be alright….I cant loose him…not after everything he has been through….please don't take him away from me….I'm not ready to give him up yet."

Then Wildwing wiped the tears away and climbed into the ambulance with his baby brother.

**AN: I thought this would be a good place to end it and because of all the awesome reviews I received I decided to reward you with a little preview of the next chapter so enjoy.**

" _Mr. Flashblade…my name is Dr. Ericson, I am taking care of your brother."_

" _Is he ok?"_

" _Actually I don't know yet….we have come across some more damage and we need to operate, but before we can…since he is a minor we need your permission."_

_The last of the color on Wildwing's face left when he heard the word "operate" and he fell right into the chair."_

" _Operate…why?"_

" _We found more internal bleeding, that needs to be stopped and also I did an x-ray on both his legs, and being completely honest I didn't like what I saw."_

_Putting his head in between his legs, Wildwing took a few minutes before answering._

" _Is it serious?"_

" _Yes…very much so."_

_Taking a few more minutes to answer, Wildwing finally looked up at the doctor and nodded._

" _You have my permission…do whatever you have to do."_

_Smiling the doctor headed back towards the operating room._


	5. The real test

**AN: Just like I promised here is another chapter. I hope everyone enjoys this and I am also apologizing right now for what I'm about to do to Nosedive. Enjoy and read/review. Love you all.**

When everyone arrived at the hospital, two doctors and a nurse ran over to the ambulance and before Wildwing could blink, they wheeled Nosedive through the doors.

Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, Wildwing turned around and spotted Phil, sitting in one of the chairs, filling out paper work.

" Hey…what have you got there?"

Phil looked up and gave his captain a soft smile.

" When Duke and I arrived, the receptionist handed me all this crap and since I figured you wouldn't be in the mood for all these questions I thought I would lend a hand and start."

Giving his manager a grateful smile, Wildwing sat down and rubbed the back of his neck.

" Why don't you close your eyes…we are probably going to be here awhile."

" As much as I would like to I can't….I want to be alert when the doctor shows up."

Nodding his head, Phil went back to the papers.

" Where's Duke anyway?"

" He went down to the café to grab some coffee for everyone, since there is a good possibility we will be here awhile."

Nodding his head, the captain stretched out onto the chair and helped Phil finish the forms.

Five minutes later, just as Duke was walking by with the coffee, the second ambulance pulled up and Mallory climbed out of the back and ran into the waiting area.

" Mookie's heart started to give out, Tanya managed to bring it back up, but her pulse is still very low."

Duke handed her a cup.

" What about Thrash…has anyone heard from him?"

Before anyone could answer, the last ambulance pulled up and Canard and Grin walked through the doors.

" Other than what the paramedics could see, there is a slight chance the kid could go home tomorrow. How's the other two?"

Wildwing took a sip of coffee and sat back down.

" Mookie is probably going to be listed as critical…as for Nosedive, we still haven't heard anything yet."

" So I guess this means the waiting game has begun huh?"

Just then one of the doctors, walked into the waiting room and headed towards the group.

" Mr. Flashblade…my name is Dr. Ericson I am one of the doctors looking over your brother."

" How is he….is he ok…can I see him…when can I see him?"

" We've come across some more internal bleeding, plus some other issues that needs to be fixed through surgery, but because he is a minor we need your permission to operate."

" What are the other issues?"

Dr. Ericson sighed.

" It's his legs. I did an x-ray on them and I didn't like what I saw."

" Is it serious?"

" Yes"

Putting his head in between his legs, Wildwing took a couple deep breaths, before answering the doctor.

" Do what ever you have to do."

Nodding his head, Dr. Ericson walked back towards rooms.

After the doctor left, no one really knew what to say. They all tried to think of something comforting to say, but nothing really seemed like the right thing. After ten minutes went by, Grin walked over to Wildwing and sat down next to him.

" My friend…are you alright?"

The said duck looked up, shook his head no, then walked out the door and went outside.

" Should we go after him?"

Canard looked at Phil and shrugged.

" Probably not. Let's give him some time to think about everything, then if he is not back in a half-hour then we will send the search party."

" So what should we do?"

" Well…I suggest we all go down to the café, grab more coffee, food, and magazines…because we are going to be here while longer."

Everyone nodded in agreement and after leaving instructions with the receptionist, they went down for supplies.

Wildwing didn't exactly know where he was going, but he really didn't care at this point, he just needed to get away. After walking a little farther, the duck found an empty bench and sat down.

" Why is it whenever something happens…we always find ourselves here."

Wildwing looked up and smirked.

" The last time we were here my brother fed me to the dogs….now the same brother is in the hospital having major surgery."

Klegghorn smiled and sat down next to him.

" This kid is certainly going to have a lot of life experience under his belt."

" Yeah and I aged about 10 years this year, because of his life experiences."

" Well think of it this way…if you were a cat, you'd be dead by now."

For the first time all night, Wildwing laughed, but then stopped and started to stare at the ground.

" It's getting to close for comfort…me loosing him….why does someone want to take him away from me so bad….what did I do wrong?"

" Wildwing….you did nothing wrong. This year just hasn't been your side, but I promise you…no one is trying to take him away from you."

" But…first it was the drugs and alcohol, then it was the suicide attempt, now its this….does someone out there think that I'm not taking care of him?'

Klegghorn looked at the duck with sympathy. He honestly felt bad for the guy and for the first time realized that being a leader was just a facade and that deep down, he was just as lost and confused like the rest.

" You are doing a wonderful job with your brother and your team…and there is no one that would be able to do the things that you do."

Wildwing wiped his eyes and took a small shaky breath.

" Thanks captain."

And with that said, the two friends got up and headed back towards the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, Wildwing and Klegghorn walked back into the waiting room.

" Anything yet?"

Canard looked up and walked over towards his friend.

" Nothing yet. We bought you a soda and something to eat, just in case you were hungry."

Smiling at his friend, Wildwing pulled him into a hug.

" I just want to say thank you for everything you have done for me and Nosedive throughout the years. I know you two don't really get along to well, but watching you both try, really means a lot to me."

Canard returned the hug, with full force.

" You're my best friend and your welcome…I would do it all again in a heartbeat."

Pulling apart, Wildwing turned and noticed the clock said 9:15pm.

" We've been here for almost three hours…though why does it feel longer?"

" Because its Nosedive."

Duke was about to respond to that, when Dr. Ericson walked back into the waiting room, which caused everyone to either sit down or stand up. Wildwing, afraid of what he was going to say, decided to sit down.

" The surgery was a success. There was a slight tare in his liver, which caused some of the bleeding, so we repaired that, but the liver is one of the organs that has the ability to heal itself, so you don't have to worry about that."

Wildwing sighed.

" What about his legs?"

" All the bones in both legs were shattered. We needed to put plates and screws in there to re straighten them. He is going to need extensive therapy to regain the use of both legs."

" So he can't walk."

" As of this point right now…no"

**An: I know I am so horrible to be leaving it like this, but I just love a good cliffhanger. Though poor Nosedive….right when he finds out he can play again this happens. Anyway I will be updating soon. Peace.**


	6. Waking Up

**AN: I was reading some of the reviews and I noticed a lot of you would like more emotion, so I hope this chapter is what all of you asked for. Oh and on a completely different side note, for all my American readers….Happy Turkey Day!**

Wildwing didn't know what to do first. A part of him wanted to grab the closest object and throw it across the room while the other side of him wanted to curl up in a ball and just cry.

Realizing that his leader wasn't in his right mind right now, Duke decided to take it upon himself and ask the questions.

" Doc….does the kid know?"

No…however he does have some idea that something is wrong, but as too what that is, he has no clue."

" When can we see him?"

" We just brought him out of recovery, he is in 473. I will bring him there if you would like?"

Duke smiled his thanks, then asked the doc for a minute alone.

Once he left, Wildwing immediately started hyperventilating.

" I…cant…I…just…cant….how am I…going to tell him….how am I supposed to tell him….?"

Phil hurried over to his captain and placed his hand on his back.

" Easy Wing….deep breath….in…out…in…out. Now you don't have to tell him by yourself…we will help you and your brother through this. We will help you take care of him."

And with that said, Phil pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

" I want a list of all the best physical therapists in Southern California faxed to my office tomorrow morning. Yes I know what time it is, but I don't care…oh and I don't care how much it costs!"

Then he hung up the phone and stared at the young duck.

" Your brother will walk again…you have my word!"

The captain nodded his head, then stood up.

" We should head towards the room, I don't want him to wake up alone."

Then everyone got up and made their way towards their friend.

When they walked into the room, Wildwing stopped and just stared at his frail looking little brother.

" This morning he looked alive and stronger than all of us….now he looks small and helpless."

Mallory looked around the room and noticed a small machine, pumping liquid through an IV.

" What's that?"

Dr. Ericson looked over to where she was pointed and smiled.

" That's a morphine pump…it pumps out the amount of medicine that he needs, but don't worry it's a low dosage so we are able to monitor his usage of the liquid."

With all the talk of medicine and seeing Nosedive hooked up to all the machines, Wildwing started to sway a little bit, so very carefully Canard pulled out a chair, placed it by the bed, and forced him to sit down.

" He was awake when we brought him in, but due to the pain and the anesthetics he fell back to sleep. Hopefully he will sleep through the night."

Wildwing took his brothers hand, and gently placed it in his hand.

" I'm right here baby bro….everything is going to be ok."

Phil leaned up against a wall and watched the interaction between the two brothers, when he thought of something.

" hey doc…could you do us a favor?

" Sure…what's up?"

" the kid's two friends….Thrash and Mookie….would you be able to find out if they are alright for us…I know that's one of the first question the kid is going to ask when he wakes up?"

Nodding his head and promising to return with information, Dr. Ericson left everyone alone with their thoughts.

Once he left. The team looked over at one another and all silently thought the same thing…how did a wonderful day turn into their worst nightmare.

After awhile, Tanya walked over to the end of the bed and lifted up the blankets too see the extent of the damages with her own eyes.

" How are they…really?"

Looking up at Grin, she smiled grimly.

" Well….the doctor is right they are both broken. They are both swollen and covered in bruises. From the looks of the incisions, they cut the right leg all the way up to his knee…while his left leg looks like it was completely crushed. I'm not going to lie Wildwing….it's going to be a long recovery."

Still clutching his brothers hand, Wildwing took a deep breath and finally started to look at all the external damage.

There was a bandage on the side of the teens forehead. Some smaller cuts all along his right eye and cheek. His right hand was wrapped up in a gauze pad and an ace bandage.

Giving the teen a sad smile, Wildwing started to push back some hair that was on his forehead when he spotted some dry blood.

" Duke…could you go into the bathroom and grab me a piece of wet paper towel?"

Nodding his head, Duke slipped into the bathroom and five seconds later, Wildwing was cleaning up the dry blood and muttering " Everything will be ok" in Nosedive's ear.

After everything was cleaned up, Canard looked up at the clock and noticed it was going for 11:30.

" Why don't we call it a night and head home then come back first thing in the morning."

Everyone agreed, except Wildwing.

" You guys can go, but I am staying here."

Sighing, Canard knew this was going to be a battle.

" Wildwing….there isn't much we can do right now, until he wakes up. So come home and sleep."

" No…I am not leaving him."

Knowing his friend was getting upset, Canard grabbed his arm and dragged him out into the hallway.

" Wildwing….listen to me….I know you don't want to leave the kid, believe me I don't want to leave him either, but can we do….he's sleeping right now."

Wildwing started pacing back and forth now.

" What if he wakes up during the night and no one is here, he will get scared….and I refuse to let that happen!"

" What about you….you need rest."

" I'll sleep in one of the chairs. Canard this discussion is over….I am staying!"

Then the two friends walked back into the room grumbling to themselves.

" Ok….Wildwing is staying here, if anyone would like to stay with him…that's fine, if anyone wants to leave then come back…that's fine too."

Phil and Duke looked at one another and in a silent agreement, Phil grabbed two chairs, while Duke went down to get more coffee."

Giving his manager and friend a grateful smile, Wildwing sat back down and took his brothers hand once again.

Knowing he was defeated, Canard ran his hand through his hair.

" Just promise you will call if anything changes."

Wildwing looked up at his friend and smiled.

" I will."

After everyone said their goodbyes and left the remaining team members tried to make themselves comfortable because without saying it the three of them knew they were in for a long night.

Nosedive Flashblade wasn't too sure if he was asleep or awake. His entire body felt heavy and his mind was fuzzy, he also felt really warm and the teen really didn't know why. In fact looking around he wasn't even too sure where he was.

" Where am I…dude am I dead?"

Then a woman, who looked very familiar to him walked over to him.

" Hello sweetheart."

Nosedive looked at the woman with complete confusion, which only caused her to smile.

" Its alright if you don't remember me…you were very small the last time I saw you."

Nosedive tilted his head then it hit him and his eyes went wide.

" Mom?"

The woman nodded her head and smiled some more.

" So then I am dead huh?"

No darling….your just sleeping"

" I don't understand…."

Just then another voice, which sounded tired and little panicky was heard.

" _Nosedive…its ok honey…open your eyes for me."_

The said teen looked around the room then back at his mom.

" That's Wildwing, but why does he sound upset?"

" It's time to wake up now, but always remember that your father and I are always watching you and your brother."

Then the room and his mom started to vanish and mind started to become less fuzzy, while another room started to come into focus.

" Oh thank the stars…Nosedive can you hear me?"

Giving a little groan and saying something incoherent, Nosedive tried to open his eyes, but realized he couldn't.

" Dive….squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Taking his brother's hand in his, Nosedive gave a little squeeze then started to slowly open his eyes and quietly whisper.

" Wildwing…."

Giving a quiet cheer Wildwing, Phil, and Duke all sat around the bed staring at the young kid.

" Hey baby bro….how are you feeling?"

Taking a deep breath and trying to figure out his surroundings, Nosedive blinked his eyes before answering.

" I feel like I got hit with a mack truck…where am I?"

Wildwing sat on the edge of the bed and gave his brother a small soft smile.

" Your in the hospital."

Phil sat on the opposite side and made sure the teen was looking at him.

" Do you remember what happened last night?"

Giving the kid a few minutes, Nosedive thought about it, then tried to sit up.

" Thrash…Mookie….are they ok?"

Duke walked over to the bed and sat down in one of the chairs.

" Take it easy kid…they are both fine and when you feel up too it, we will take you down to see them."

Nodding his head, Nosedive laid back down, but then stopped.

" Something doesn't feel right….Wildwing why does something feel off?"

The three friends looked at each other then glanced back at Nosedive.

" You had major surgery last night, so you might not feel the greatest for awhile."

But Nosedive knew deep down something was wrong and his brother and friends were conforming it.

" What did they need to fix?"

" Well you had some internal bleeding coming from your liver, that they needed to repair."

" What else?"

Wildwing wanted to tell his brother, but since the teen just woke up, he decided to let it go for another time.

" That's pretty much it Dive?"

Nosedive was about to argue when Canard and the rest of the team walked in.

" Hey look who woke up…how are you feeling kid?"

With tears in his eyes, Nosedive jerked his head up and glared at Canard.

" These three are lying to me right now….what else did I have surgery on…and don't you dare lie to me!"

Giving Wildwing a dirty look, Canard looked at the teen and sighed.

" Dive maybe when you have rested for a little bit…."

Nosedive took a shaky breath and started to cry.

" Just stop it…I don't give two shits about resting! There is something wrong and I want to know what it is damn it! Now someone better tell me something and fast!"

Closing his eyes and counting to ten, Wildwing got off the bed and walked over to the window.

" Your legs…they had to do surgery on your legs."

" Why?"

" Because they ended up getting crushed in the accident."

Nosedive looked at his brother and gulped because he was afraid of what he was going to hear next.

" You still need to have therapy to learn how to use them again."

" So this means I cant walk….right?"

Turning around Wildwing made sure he was looking at his brother in the eyes when he answered him.

" Yes…that's what it means."

Everyone waited for Nosedive to throw a fit or start to cry, but what he did instead shocked them all.

" Is that ok if I go back to sleep…I'm tired."

Nodding his head, Tanya helped the young duck lay down and with in minutes he was back to sleep.


	7. Apology and Planning

**AN: I just wanted to say I am really happy everyone is enjoying this story and thank you for all the nice reviews. I must say I am doing a good job at updating , I hope I can keep this up. Anyway here is the new chapter so enjoy and you all know what to do after. Thanks ****J**

Dr. Ericson was walking through the hall, when he spotted the entire team, their manager, and the police captain sitting in the hallway having a fight.

" Well if you were honest and upfront with him in the first place then none of this would have happened!"

" What did you expect me to do….he just woke up from major surgery…I wanted to wait!"

" No… you wanted to protect him like you always do!"

" Excuse me for wanted to make sure my baby brother is ok!"

" Damn it Wildwing….he's 17 years old, not 7.…let the teen grow up!"

Before the shouting match turned into an actual fight…Dr. Ericson walked over to the group with his arms crossed.

" Excuse me gentlemen…I do believe you are in a hospital so I would expect you both to keep the voices down and let my patients rest."

Canard and Wildwing looked at one another then sat on opposite sides of the hall.

" There that's better. Now would someone besides you two please tell me what's going on?"

Duke took a deep breath and presided to tell the doctor about what happened this morning.

Once the elder duck was done, Dr. Ericson took a deep breath and turned his head towards the brother.

" If you don't mind me asking….when were you going to tell your brother about his legs?"

Wildwing shook his head and gave the doctor a death glare.

" When I knew he was ready."

" Well I hope you realize you just made my job a lot harder."

The doctor then walked over to the nurses station, grabbed a white towel, gave Wildwing a " I hope your happy" look, then very slowly opened the door and walked in.

Nosedive was sitting up in bed, with his arms crossed looking very pissed off at the tv, so didn't notice anyone walking into the room until he saw a white towel out of the corner of his eye and a voice behind it.

" My name is Dr. Ericson and I come in peace…I swear."

Nosedive rolled his eyes, then turned his attention back to the TV screen.

" I don't care whether you come in peace or not…get out!"

Still hiding behind the towel, Dr. Ericson walked closer to the bed.

" But what if I told you I have the ability to help you walk again."

The teen shut the TV off then slowly turned his head toward the blanket.

" I'm listening."

Taking it as a chance to lower his protective shield, Dr. Ericson threw the blanket, on a nearby chair and sat down.

" I want you to start physical therapy as soon as your legs heal properly."

" And when will that be?"

" Hopefully on Thursday."

Nosedive's face dropped when he heard the day and he quietly whispered, while fresh tears started to form behind his eyes.

" But that's two days from now."

The doctor gave him a sympathetic smile and lightly touched his shoulder.

" You had major surgery last night…I want to make sure the plates are settling nicely before I have you try to walk."

Nodding his head, started to play with the blanket.

" hey doc…did you tell my brother to lie to me?"

" No…I told him to tell you the first minute you asked."

Still playing with a string he found, Nosedive gave the doctor a half smile.

" You know the new season started up next month….will I be able to walk by then?"

" I don't know….honestly that depends on you and how bad you want to walk again."

Getting up, Dr. Ericson grabbed his chart and started to write things down, when Nosedive stopped him.

" What's your first name anyway?"

" Brian….my first name is Brian."

Turning the TV back on, Brian turned and got ready to leave, when Nosedive stopped him again.

" Could you bring my brother in here please."

Nodding his head, Brian walked out of the room, while Nosedive tried to process everything that happened.

Five minutes later, the door opened again and Wildwing walked in. He tried to walk towards the bed, but Nosedive stopped him half way.

" That's as far as you can go. Answer my questions and if I happen to like the answers then you can come closer, but if I don't like the answers then you take steps back…understood?"

Knowing he deserved this, Wildwing nodded his head yes and Nosedive started.

" Did you lie to me?"

" Yes."

" Why did you?"

" Because you just had major surgery…I wanted to make sure you could handle it."

Nosedive made a hand jester and Wildwing moved back.

" I could have handled it….I am 17 years old…you have to start treating me like a teenager."

Sighing because he didn't like the way this conversation was going, Wildwing rubbed his eyes.

" You are right…I have to start treating you like an adult…but you will always be my little brother…no matter how old you get…and I am always going to look after you and take care of you."

Nosedive looked at his brother and noticed the dark circles and bag under his eyes.

" You look tired."

Wildwing smirked and rubbed his head.

" Well I've spent two days in a hospital with less then 4 hours of sleep and at least 4 cups of coffee in me."

Nosedive smiled then motioned for his brother to come closer.

" Dr. Ericson told me I could possibly start therapy on Thursday."

" I know he told us that too."

" He also said that there is a small chance I wouldn't be able to walk before the start of the season."

" He also told us that as well."

" What do you think about the whole thing?"

Knowing his response will either get him closer to his brother or get him kicked out, Wildwing chose his words carefully before he said them.

" Yes there is that chance, but that is a risk we are going to have to take. Personally you have always been a stubborn kid and when you want something bad you will do whatever you need to do before you get it. So I think with a little hard work and determination…I believe you will be able to skate on the ice with us."

Nosedive smiled and held out his arms, which made Wildwing smile and roll his eyes before walking over to him and pulling him into a hug.

After a few minutes, Nosedive pulled away and gave his brother the puppy dog eyes.

" Can we please go see Thrash and Mookie?"

Rolling his eyes again, Wildwing looked at his brother and smiled.

" Not today. Thrash and Mookie are still out of it and in lots of pain, but I will defiantly take you tomorrow."

Agreeing with that response, Wildwing noticed his brothers gaze went to the morphine pump.

" What is it Nosedive?"

" What if I get addicted again to all this pain medicine crap?"

Wildwing sat on the bed and took his brothers hand.

" You wont….because myself and the rest of the team wont let you."

Happy with that response, Nosedive yawned and laid his head onto the pillow.

" Is that ok if I fall asleep?"

" Sure Nosedive."

" Will you stay with me?"

Smiling Wildwing started playing with Nosedives hair.

" Of course baby bro."

Then Nosedive closed his eyes and for the first time since the accident Wildwing was relaxed.


	8. Pranks, gags, and jokes

**AN: With everything that happened in the last two chapters, I figured it was time for some comedy relief, so this chapter has been created for such an occasion. Enjoy**

The next morning, when Nosedive woke up, he was shocked to find his room empty. Figuring they were all at breakfast, the duck reached over to grab the TV remote, but stopped when he found a note on the end table.

Shrugging his shoulders, he picked it up and began to read it.

_Dragged your brother home so he could sleep_

_We'll be back later on today_

_Canard._

Smiling and trying really hard not to hide his joy, Dive rang for the nurse.

Five minutes later, one of the nurses, named Jackie walked into the room.

" There's my favorite nurse!"

" And there is my favorite teenager…how are you sugar?"

" I'm good…how are you?"

" I'm doing good….now what can I do for you?"

" My brother apparently left last night and he wont be back until later, so do you think I can go see my friends?"

After thinking for a few minutes, Jackie turned around and walked out of the door.

Thinking that meant no, Dive's face fell, but no sooner after she left then she came back, but with a wheelchair.

" Jackie…this is why you are my favorite nurse!"

" You know I would do anything to see a smile on that face of yours."

After helping him get settled into the chair, Jackie wheeled him down to see Thrash and Mookie.

Thrash was sitting in bed, flipping through the channels, waiting for the breakfast cart when his doctor walked in.

" Good morning Thrash."

" Morning doc."

" How are you feeling this morning?"

Thrash shrugged then turned his head back towards the TV.

" I was thinking, how would you like some company for breakfast?"

Thinking it would be him, Thrash gave him a weird look, but then smiled when Nosedive wheeled himself into the room.

" DUDE…..YOUR ALIVE COOL!"

Wheeling himself closer to the bed, the two boys hugged, both thrilled that the other one was ok.

" Hey….like is there any room for me in that group hug!"

Turning their heads, both boys smiled.

" MOOKIE!"

With the help of her crutches, Mookie walked into the room, and the three best friends were reunited once again.

Once everyone was settled into the room comfortably, the three friends started to get ready to enjoy their breakfast when a loud scream came from across the hall.

" NO NO NO….I DON'T WANT ANOTHER SHOT!"

Giving each other confused looks, the trio left the room.

" Hey doc…what's going on?"

Dr Ericson walked over to the group and sighed.

" That's Tommy Morgan….he needs shots every morning. At first he was very cooperative, but now he refuses and puts up a fight."

" Why does he need them?"

" That's the only was he can get his medicine."

Looking at his friends and doctor, Nosedive wheeled himself in front of Tommy's door.

" May I?"

Dr. Ericson moved out of the way and opened the door for the young duck.

" Hey now what's with all the screaming?"

Tommy looked up and his whole face lit up when he saw Nosedive enter the room.

" I know you….your Nosedive Flashblade from the Mighty Ducks….I am your biggest fan."

Smiling Nosedive approached the bed.

" What's your name?"

" Tommy and I'm 7."

" Hi Tommy…now what's going on?"

Tears started to form in the back of the child's eyes.

" I don't like shots…I don't want them anymore."

" Can I tell you a secret…but you have to promise not to tell anyone."

A huge smile developed on Tommy's face when he heard that.

" I wont tell I promise."

" I'm afraid of needles too."

Tommy's eyes bugged out when he heard that.

" You are?"

Nosedive nodded his head.

" Yup…I hate them….that's why my brother always told me jokes whenever I had to get one."

" Really?"

" Yup…that always distracted me."

After moving closer to the bed, Nosedive brought his hand down, so Tommy wouldn't see and slowly motioned for the nurse and doctor.

" Knock knock…"

Laughing Tommy sat up onto the pillow.

" Who's there?"

" Banana….."

" Banana who….."

" Knock knock…."

" who's there….."

" Banana…."

" Banana who…."

" Knock knock….."

" who's there"

" Orange…"

" Orange who…."

" Orange you glad I didn't say banana."

Tommy laughed while Thrash, Mookie, and Dr. Ericson rolled their eyes.

" That was funny Nosedive."

" Why thank you and guess what….?"

Tommy tilted his head.

" The nurse gave you the shot and you didn't even feel it."

Tommy smiled again when he looked down at his arm.

" Hey your right….thanks Nosedive."

Nosedive smiled and went back to his friends.

" I am down the hall in room 436 if you would like an encore."

After they left the room, Nosedive smiled and looked at his two friends.

" Oh no….I know that look….what are you up too?"

" Lets give these kids something to laugh about since they are stuck here."

Then he went back into his room and picked up his cell phone.

" Hey Phil I need you to do me a favor…..there is a large black duffle bag under my bed, could you bring it down to the hospital for me?"

After hanging up with his manager Dive rubbed his hands together and smiled, while Thrash and Mookie shook their heads and groaned.

Five minutes later, Phil walked into the room and handed the bag to Nosedive.

" A part of me wants to know why you want this bag, but from the three years I have known you, that has brought me to the conclusion that I just don't ask."

Taking the bag, Nosedive dumped it onto the bed and every single prank product you could think of was now covering the entire bed.

While he was going through his stash, Dr. Ericson walked in, but stopped dead, in his tracks, at the sight.

" What is all of this?"

Nosedive looked up and smiled.

" This is my secret stash of gags and pranks….only the ones deemed worthy is the victim of this."

" And what do you plan on doing with all of this?"

Nosedive looked at his doctor as if he just grew three heads.

" Give the kids something to laugh about….this is the pediatric floor after all."

Dr. Ericson thought about it for a few minutes then went over and closed the door.

" What can I do to help."

Thrilled that he gained another supporter, Nosedive and his friends began to plan the biggest prank of a lifetime.

Three hours later….Wildwing, Canard, and the rest of the team climbed into the elevator and headed up to Nosedive's room.

" Oh I forgot to ask you…did you ever figure out what Phil took, out of Nosedive's room?"

Wildwing sighed and shook his head and silently prayed the elevator would hurry up. Even though he felt much better after having a good nights sleep and a hot shower, he still hated leaving Nosedive over night and he hoped that nothing happened during the night.

" Uh….no….I never figured it out."

Duke smirked at his captain.

" You know….they would have called if something happened."

Rolling his eyes at his eldest team member, Wildwing smiled.

" I know they would have, it's just even though it felt so good sleeping in my own bed, I still hate the fact that I left him….whoa"

Looking at their captain, everyone turned their heads and stopped dead, because the sight that greeted them was the entire hallway covered in neon colored silly string and smiley face balloons.

" What is all this?"

Tanya tried to walk over to the one wall, but stopped when she spotted a wind up mouth with two feet coming towards her.

" Wait a minute….I bought this for Nosedive when we went to Coney Island last summer."

Wildwing looked around in awe at the sight before him. There were posters of Abbot and Costello's " Who's on First" routine covering the wall, a smiley face drawn in shaving cream all over the one mirror, but what really got him to laugh was that covering the desk, at the nurses station was little polar bears, that when you pressed on their tails, raisons came out of their butts.

" Oh stars Dive….you need a new hobby."

Just then they heard laughter coming from the rec center.

" Should we go and investigate?"

Wildwing turned and looked at Duke.

" I don't know…I'm afraid too."

Mallory started laughing and walked towards the rec room.

" I'm going because its going to be nice seeing someone else as the victim of his nuttiness."

Laughing, the team walked down the hall all wondering what they were walking into.

However what they were expecting was totally different then what they all witnessed, because as soon as they entered the room, they saw Nosedive laughing hysterically with Thrash and Mookie while all the kids were laughing at all the weird faces the three teens were making.

" We are all witness to the fact that laughter is truly the best medicine in the world."

Wildwing looked over at Grin then turned his head back over to Nosedive.

" You are absolutely right Grin and I wouldn't trade this picture for the world."

After staring at the scene before them for a little bit, Duke noticed that someone was missing.

" Hey where's Phil?"

Canard looked around then just burst out laughing.

" He's the clown in the corner….making balloon animals."

Just then Nosedive spotted them and cheered.

" Hey….you guys found us!"

Nodding their heads, Tanya threw up her hands and walked into the war zone.

" You know what they say….if you cant beat them join them."

Looking at one another the team all silently agreed and joined Tanya and the rest of the hospital in the world where just for one day sick kids could be a kid.


	9. Realizations and Confessions

**AN: Here is my Christmas present to all of my readers….a wonderful update yay! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and thank you so much for taking the time to read my stories.**

Once everyone cleaned up after their prank war Nosedive, Thrash, and Mookie decided to go outside for some fresh air.

" Man….I thought I would never be able to see daylight again…boy does this sunshine feel good."

Thrash sat down on a bench and stretched out.

" Oh I know dude….the warmth and the breeze really feels good. People were right when they said sunshine is truly the best medicine when you feel cooped up."

However the only person who seemed like they weren't enjoying themselves was Mookie…instead of joining in on the conversation, she just sat down on the bench and stared at the grass.

Nosedive noticed his friend wasn't very happy.

" Hey Mookie…what's wrong, you don't look too happy to be outside?"

Mookie continued looking at the grass for a few more minutes before she looked up at her friends.

" When do you guys think you will be released?

Thrash shrugged.

" I guess when my CAT-SCANS come back clear or negative."

Mookie then turned her head in Nosedive's direction.

" What about you…did they give you a time frame?"

Nosedive looked down at his legs and started playing with a string on his one pant leg.

" Not for awhile."

Knowing his friends like he does, he knew they were giving him a look that said " explain" so when he looked up and noticed the look, he took a deep long breath and explained.

" I can't walk…both of my legs were crushed in the accident. I needed surgery to repair them…I guess the doctors needed to put some metal plates and screws in. I need physical therapy to learn how to walk again, but there is a small chance that I will never be able to walk again."

Mookie swallowed the lump that formed in her throat when he said that.

" What will happen to your career if that's the case?"

Nosedive rubbed his face with his hands then shrugged.

" I guess I'll have to retire , but I don't honestly know…I haven't talked to Phil or Wildwing about it yet."

Thrash walked over to his friend and placed his hand onto his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile.

" Whatever you have to do…we will support you all the way."

Nosedive smiled at his two friends then closed his eyes and enjoyed the sun.

Later on after they went back to their rooms, Nosedive was laying in bed going over the conversation with his friends, in his head, when it finally hit him…what if he never walks again. The teen sat up and stared out the window, while a tornado of thoughts kept flying through his head…what is going to happen to his career is he can never skate again…what about college, has that dream gone down the drain….what about Wildwing?

And then of course when his brother popped into his head, that brought on another whirlwind of thoughts….what if he gets tired of taking care of him and he kicks him out onto the street….what if the team gets sick of Wildwing always doing things for him….what if the team gets tired of helping him?

Without knowing what was going on, Nosedive realized he couldn't breath and that the walls were started to close in on him.

He tried catching his breath, but that just caused black dots to form in front of his eyes. Not knowing what else to do, he was getting ready to scream for a nurse, when he felt a hand start rubbing his back and a soothing voice.

" Easy Dive….just follow my voice….in….out….in….out….in….out."

After a few minutes Nosedive's breathing was under control and the dizziness started to go away.

" Thanks bro."

Wildwing wrapped his arm around his brother's waist and helped him lay down.

" Your welcome. Now want to tell me what that was all about?"

Nosedive shrugged and closed his eyes.

" Just thinking about stuff that's all."

" Well if that's what's going to happen when you start thinking…I'm going to hit in the head to get all the thoughts out."

Dive opened his eyes and started to laugh.

" If that's the case then you have my permission."

Wildwing rolled his eyes and laughed, but then he became serious.

" So what were you thinking about?"

" I don't know….just stuff I guess."

Wildwing raised his eyebrow when he heard the word stuff.

" Nosedive….when someone thinks about stuff, that usually doesn't bring on panic attacks….what kind of stuff?"

Nosedive rolled his eyes.

" Don't worry about it….nothing major just stuff…so just drop it."

However Wildwing did the exact opposite.

" Nosedive…I'm not going to drop it….whatever you were thinking made you so upset it caused a panic attack….now what were you thinking?"

" Wildwing get off my case about it and leave me alone!"

Wildwing got off the bed and put his fingers in between his nose to hopefully stop the headache that was starting to form.

" Fine….you want me to leave you alone then I will…"

" Thank you."

Then the duck turned around and stormed out of the room leaving the younger duck silently crying.

After he left the room, Wildwing walked into the empty waiting room and started pacing. He was on his last nerve and even that was slowly starting to dwindle.

Dr. Ericson was walking towards the elevator to head down to the café when he spotted the angry looking duck in the waiting room.

" You look like you just lost the Stanly cup…is everything ok?"

Startled, Wildwing stopped pacing and put his hands on his hips.

" No everything is not ok….something is going on in my little brothers head, I don't know what it is, and its driving me insane!"

The young doctor walked over to the duck.

" Look I was heading down to the café for something to eat, why don't you join me and we will talk."

At first Wildwing was going to decline the offer, just in case Nosedive needed him, but after what happened in his room, Wildwing nodded his head and the two headed down for food.

" So what do you think is going on through his head?"

" Honestly…I have no clue. I mean he was his usual normal self this morning, but when he came back from being outside, something made his mind go crazy."

Brian took a sip of his soda then scratched his head.

" Maybe I can get the hospital psychologist to pop into his room for a visit…maybe that will help the kid to open up."

Wildwing sighed and closed his eyes. He hated the fact that someone else was going to end up doing his job again.

" Look I know you want to be the big brother hero, but there are sometimes when even the hero needs help….I mean that's why super heros have side kicks."

Wildwing smirked .

" Ok…if this will help Dive then call him."

However instead of easing his mind, Wildwing couldn't shake the feeling that this was only going to make things worse.

The next morning, after he was finished with breakfast, Nosedive was watching cartoons when he heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was his brother, Nosedive smirked, but when someone else walked in, Nosedive looked confused.

" Can I help you?"

" I hope so…my name is Dr. Michaels…I am one of the psychiatrists here at the hospital."

Nosedive rolled his eyes and mumbled "unbelievable" under his breath.

" Let me guess my brother sent you in here, because I refused to talk to him yesterday…right?"

" Nosedive you are going through a very traumatic experience right now and from what your brother told me you had a panic attack yesterday…"

" Look I don't need to tell my problems to a shrink….I just had a lot on my mind yesterday and it just took me by surprise, but I'm fine now."

Still not accepting that excuse, Dr. Michaels pressed the issue.

" Nosedive you are not fine…you have had a hard year and from what it looks like, its not getting any better. Now its not healthy took keep feelings and emotions locked up inside, so tell me."

" Why would you care about the end of my career anyway!"

Aggravated with himself for opening his mouth, Nosedive crossed his arms and stared at the wall, while Dr. Michaels smiled.

" First off I am a huge fan of hockey and second who said anything about your career ending?"

At first the kid didn't say anything, but angry tears were starting to fall, and before he knew it, he spilled his guts.

" Look at me…I'm in a hospital because my legs were crushed in a car accident…I will never be able to skate again!"

" Did you try therapy yet?"

" No…I have to go for x-rays today then that will determine if I can start therapy tomorrow or wait."

" So….did your doctor tell you that you will never walk again?"

" No…."

" Then…if you didn't start therapy yet and the doctors didn't say anything….then why do you assume you will never walk again?"

" I don't know….I am so tired and stressed out right now….I have so many thoughts and emotions going through me right now….I don't even know where to turn to first….I am so worried I am going to be a burden to my brother that him and the team are going to kick me out and throw me in a home! I am in so much pain but I cant take anything because of a fear of relapsing! I just want this whole mess to just go away!"

Dr. Michaels got up from the chair and walked over to the bed and placed his arm around the sobbing teens shoulder.

" Nosedive….why didn't you tell anyone how you were feeling before?"

" I didn't want anyone to think I couldn't handle this….I need to be strong for my brother."

The doctor grabbed a tissue and handed it to the teen.

" You don't have to be strong for anyone…let someone be strong for you…let someone else help you carry this burden."

Just then Jackie walked in with a wheelchair.

" Hey baby…its time for your date in x-ray."

Nodding his head, the said teen wiped his tears then smiled.

" Thanks doc….are we going to have another session?"

" Talk to your brother first, then I will set up another appointment."

Nosedive rolled his eyes then headed down to X-ray.

When they got down to the lab, one of the technicians was standing in the hallway waiting for them.

" Ok…are you ready?"

Shrugging, the tech wheeled Nosedive over to the one bed and lifted him up onto it.

" Now I want you to lay perfectly still and don't move until I tell you ok?"

" Ok."

Then the tech turned the lights off and walked into the other room, leaving Nosedive to stare at the ceiling.

After a few seconds, the tech came back in, but with a blanket.

" I am going to take a some pictures of just your left leg now, so this blanket is going to be covering your other leg."

" What is this for anyway?"

" This is your ticket to therapy."

Satisfied with the answer, Nosedive nodded his head.

" Oh ok…that makes sense."

The tech just laughed then shut the lights off and walked into the other room.

After doing that for another 10 minutes, Nosedive was able to go back to his room.

" So when will I find out the results?"

" We have to develop the film and that usually takes awhile, so I want to say maybe an hour or two."

Nosedive got aggravated with that answer, but knowing it wasn't anyone's fault, the kid kept his mouth shut.

When they reached his room, Wildwing was sitting in the once chair watching the news, but shut it off when they entered the room.

" How did it go?"

" The latest I'll find anything out is in two hours."

Nodding his head, Wildwing picked his brother up and placed him in bed.

Not forgetting about their fight yesterday, the older duck turned around and headed out the door, when he was stopped.

" Wilding wait….can I ask you a question?"

The said duck slowly turned around and stared at his brother.

" Uh…sure what's up?"

All of a sudden, Nosedive became extremely fasinated with a string on the blanket so he started playing with it.

" If therapy fails and I will never be able to walk or play hockey ever again…will you still love me…even though I'll be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life?"

At first Wildwing thought his baby brother was joking, but when he realized Nosedive was serious, Wildwing was shocked at hurt.

" Nosedive….why would you ask me something like that?"

Realizing he was crying again, Nosedive grabbed a pillow and tried to cover his face.

" Because I am going to be a burden to you if I cant walk…and I already know I'm one for you…I'm just scared you will start resenting me."

Trying not to express the hurt on his face, Wildwing crossed the room in two seconds and sat down next to his baby brother.

" Nosedive Nicholas Flashblade…you are not a burden and you could never be…."

" But Wildwing…..after awhile you are going to get sick of taking care of me!"

Wildwing pulled his brother into his arms and just held him close.

" How can you think that….I've been taking care of you for your whole life and I am not going to stop now. You are my baby brother and that is never going to change. Yes there is a slight chance you will be stuck in the chair, but we will deal with it….the team will deal with it! But Nosedive never ever think that for one minute I will stop loving you!"

Nosedive threw his arms around his brothers waist and just snuggled into his big brothers chest, knowing that no matter what the doctor said he was going to be ok.


	10. Giving up and Betrayed

" Ok…now our goal here is for you to get the strength back into your legs, however that is not going to happen over night, so just for today we are going to try some simple exercises for your thighs and lower hips."

Nosedive just sat in his chair silently while he listened to the therapist.

" I am not going to lie to you…this is going to hurt, but as we keep doing this, the pain will lessen."

The teen nodded, then the therapist grabbed a stool and sat directly across from Nosedive.

" Now the first exercise we are going to do is this…. I am going to lift your leg and you are going to hold it, in the air for 10 seconds after we do about 10 of those then we are going to do the same with your left leg…you ready?"

Nosedive closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and silently counted to ten, before opening his eyes and looking at John.

" Lets do it."

So John picked up Nosedive's leg, but as soon as he let it go, it fell back down onto the foot rest.

" What happened…why did it do that?"

John gave the teen a sympathetic smile.

" It's ok….that's normal…so instead of you trying to hold it up, I am going to hold it up for you…lets try again."

Nosedive gave a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes, while John positioned himself in the chair, but as soon as he held up his leg about 3 feet off the ground, Nosedive started to feel the pain.

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10... Ok breath out."

After he put the leg down, John noticed a couple tears in the kids eyes.

" Are you ok?"

Quickly the teen wiped his eyes and straightened himself out.

" Yeah…I'm fine."

" You know….its ok to cry…I told you it was going to hurt."

" I know…it just didn't realize how much…that's all.

John gave Dive a soft smile, then continued with the exercises.

Meanwhile back in Nosedive's room, Wildwing was flipping through the channels trying not to act bored, when Klegghorn walked in.

" Hey Wildwing."

Trying not too look thrilled that he finally had some company, Wildwing turned off the TV.

" Hey captain…what brings you here?"

Klegghorn took off his coat and sat down, in one of the near by chairs.

" I was on my lunch break, when I decided to drop by and visit with the kid….where is he by the way?"

" You just missed him….he started therapy today."

Klegghorn smiled when he heard that.

" Well that's good….so I'm guessing everything is healing normally then?"

The captain rubbed his eyes and stretched before answering.

" The doctors aren't telling me anything different, so I'm guessing everything is fine."

The police captain nodded his head and smirked.

" So what are you still worried about then?"

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, while laughing, Wildwing got up from the bed, and turned towards Klegghorn.

" I can't get anything passed you…I'm worried about Nosedive…I don't think he understands he will need a lot of therapy…he just thinks that after two days, he'll be able to walk right out of this hospital….and the doctors already told me once he is discharged, he will still need outpatient therapy….I guess what I am really worried about is the chance of him playing with us opening game is getting smaller and smaller….and I don't know how he is going to take it."

Klegghorn placed his hand on the young ducks shoulder and sighed.

" If it makes you feel any better…I think everyone is afraid of the exact same thing."

Knowing he wasn't the only one, helped Wildwing feel a little bit better.

An hour later, a frustrated, tear face stricken teen was wheeled into the room, where his team and family were waiting for him.

Concerned, Wildwing wanted to rush over to him, but stopped when he saw the doctor motion him outside.

" What is it?"

Brian closed the door, and pulled Wildwing away from the room.

" I'm going to have to up the dosage on his morphine pump…I already contacted his sponsors from AA, so they are aware. Believe me I don't want to, but after his session he is going to be in a lot of pain and I want him to sleep."

All Wildwing could do was groan.

" I am really sorry, but I have to do the right thing, and that's helping him with the pain."

Then Dr. Ericson walked away and Wildwing threw a magazine across the room.

" Damn it…if he gets addicted again, so help me god I will never forgive myself."

Taking a couple deep breaths, to help calm his nerves, Wildwing walked back into the room.

" So I am guessing therapy didn't go so well huh?"

" Oh it went fine."

Taking note to the sarcasm, Wildwing rolled his eyes.

" What did you expect Nosedive….this isn't going to be a walk in the park, you really have to try if you want to join us next month."

The teen nodded his head, the turned his attention to Janice.

" What are you doing?"

" We are changing your morphine drip…hopefully this will help you sleep more."

Nosedive looked at Wildwing with confusion while this brother shrugged.

15 minutes later, when Phil and the rest of the team showed up, Nosedive was laughing up a storm while Wildwing was rolling his eyes and trying really hard not to cry.

" Hey…we can hear you laughing from down the hall…what's so funny."

Wildwing got up and headed out the door.

" They had to up the dosage on his meds so he can sleep, he's high as a kite …I can't deal with this right now….I'm going home….you all have fun."

The team groaned then slowly turned their attention back to Nosedive.

" So….kid….how you feeling?"

Nosedive laid down and smiled at the team.

" I haven't felt this good in a long time…hey where did Wildwing go?"

Phil started to notice the teen was getting drowsy, so he picked up a chair and moved it next to the bed.

" He was getting tired, so he went home to sleep, but I am sure he will be back tomorrow."

Then Phil looked at the clock and held out his hand.

" And he will be out in….3.…2.…1."

Then before anyone knew it, Nosedive passed right out onto his pillow.

Looking at their manager, Phil just smiled then kicked his feet up and turned on the TV.

The couple hours later when Nosedive woke up, his head was pounding, his ears were ringing, and he has the worst case of cotton mouth.

" Good morning sunshine."

Blinking a few times to clear out his vision, he spotted Canard and Duke sitting at the table, playing cards, Phil and Grin were watching ESPN, and Mallory and Tanya were looking through magazines.

" Why do I feel like I died?"

Canard looked up, from his hand, and shrugged.

" They gave you some powerful stuff to help with the pain, you have been asleep for almost four hours."

Knowing that he was high again, caused his stomach to do flips, and not the good kind of flips.

" Oh…where's Wildwing?"

" He went home…he was getting a headache so he wanted to lay down for awhile."

Nodding his head, Nosedive looked down at his hands.

He knew for a fact his brother was fine, he just didn't want to be around him when he was off the wall.

Sighing, Nosedive was going to try and sleep again, when something on TV caught his eye.

" Phil…turn that up."

Phil grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

" _We are here at the office of Gary Bettman, head of the NHL league. Gary thank you for being with us today."_

" _You are very welcome, I am happy to be here."_

" _Now as the start of the season comes closer, what can you tell us about this seasons teams?"_

" _I have witnessed all the practices and I can tell you, that this will be one hell of a season."_

" _What about Nosedive Flashblade, how is he doing…have you heard anything?"_

" _Yes actually I have….I spoke with his brother earlier today and from Wildwing told me….Nosedive is making wonderful improvements. Unfortunately he still isn't walking yet, but he did start therapy today so the doctors and the league are hopeful he will make a speedy recovery."_

" _Do you think, if Nosedive is able to recover, will he play at the start of the season?"_

" _Before this whole accident happened, I was going to hold a press conference to announce that Nosedive is able to join his team, at the start of the season. However when I did mention something to Wildwing about it, he said no…and that he doesn't believe Nosedive is ready or will be ready to play. So Unfortunately he will not be joining the team at the start of the season."_

Phil turned off the TV and just by the look on everyone's face, he could tell they were all just as mad as him.

" I can't believe he did that….I'm gonna kill him….I am actually going to kill him. Nosedive….don't worry, I will get to the bottom of this…you will play with the team…I swear!"

Instead of acknowledging his manager, Nosedive just sat there dumbstruck. He couldn't believe his brother would do that to him….his own brother.

" Canard…can I go back to sleep now?"

Nodding his head, Canard helped the teen get more comfortable, then they shut the light off, and left the room, so Nosedive could get more rest."

**AN: I cant believe Wildwing would do something like that! I hope he knows now that his little comments forced me to change the rest of the story, but that is quite alright…I will have my revenge…starting with bringing back an old character. Insert Evil laugh here!**


	11. Sending for Help

.

After everyone left the room, Canard and Phil starting pace back and forth, while the rest found chairs to sit down. No one wanted to believe what Wildwing did.

After a few minutes of complete silence, Mallory sighed.

" I don't understand it…why would he do something like that…this just doesn't make any sense?"

Duke scratched his head.

" I know sweetheart, believe me I know, but Mallory does have a point…Wildwing has always been the kids biggest supporters…he must have some type of a reason for giving up."

Phil stopped pacing and turned towards him team and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when the elevator doors opened and Wildwing walked through.

" Well…speaking of the devil….look who decided to grace us with his presence."

The said duck looked at his team and sighed. He had a feeling they were going to be mad when the story broke, but he thought there would be time for him to prepare before anyone saw anything, but from judging by the looks the team was giving him, Wildwing assumed they either heard or saw what he did.

" Hey."

Canard stopped, dead in his tracks, and whipped around so fast, he almost bashed into the one chair.

" Hey….that's all you can say, after what you did is…hey."

Ignoring his friend, Wildwing walked past the team and tried going into Nosedive's room, but Grin quickly walked to the door and blocked him.

" Sometimes even the little bird needs to be protected before he tries to go off on his own."

Raising on eyebrow, Duke joined Grin at the door.

" What the big guy is trying to say is access denied. You are not allowed to go in there right now."

The captain took a couple steps back and crossed his arms.

" Excuse me…you can't keep me from seeing my brother."

" Your right we cant…but after that little stunt you pulled…I'm not too sure if he wants to even see you."

While Duke and Wildwing started a stare down, Phil had a feeling a shouting match was about to start, so after walking around the floor, he spotted an empty room.

" Excuse me…is this conference room going to be used today at all?"

Shaking her head no, Phil almost threw his arms around the nurse, before walking back to his team.

" Ok guys….there is an empty conference room down the hall, that no one is using…may I suggest we take this party there so when we call start yelling, the patients will not be disturbed."

Nodding their heads, the team followed Phil down the hall, towards the room.

Once everyone was in the room and seated, Phil began.

" Now…due to recent events, our tempers and stress levels are on short leashes and unfortunately we, myself included, are all ready to snap at any given moment…however this is not the time nor is it the place to have any type of breakdown. So with that said…this is what we are going to do….we are all going to take deep breaths, count to ten, then let it our slowly."

When Phil thought everyone was starting to grow calmer, he continued.

" Ok…Wildwing….what happened between the time you left the hospital to the time you got home?"

Feeling a little better, Wildwing leaned back, into the chair, and answered.

" I drove out of the parking lot, stopped to get something to eat, and was half way home when Bettman called me."

Thrilled that everyone was still quiet, Phil pressed on.

" What did he say?"

" He asked me how Nosedive was doing and I told him, he just started therapy and then he asked me if I felt he was going to be ready for the first game and I said no."

Nodding his head and what his captain said, Phil asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

" Why did you say no?"

" Because as his legal guardian…I don't think he will be ready in time."

Canard jumped out of the chair.

" But you don't know if he will be ready in time…the kid just started therapy…we cant give up on him now!"

Wildwing rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes.

" You're right I don't know and I am not giving up on him…he's just….he's not going to be ready."

Canard threw up his hands.

" Did the doctors specifically tell you Nosedive will not be able to play in our first game because he will not be walking by then?"

" No they didn't but…."

" Then why the hell would you tell the president of the NHL that your brother will not be participating in our first game…if the doctors didn't say anything!"

" BECAUSE HE WAS HIGH…THERE I SAID IT….THAT'S MY REASON….NOSEDIVE WAS HIGH AGAIN!"

When Wildwing finished shouting, he fell into one of the nearby chairs, while the rest of the team tried to absorb what he said. Finally after a couple of minutes, Tanya was the first one to speak up.

" Wildwing…he was in a lot of pain…if they didn't increase the medication then Nosedive would still be in pain…would you rather him not feel anything and be able to sleep or stay up all night crying because his body hurts too much?"

The captain looked at his team and rubbed the back of his neck.

" I want him to sleep, but what will happen if he gets addicted again…I am not going to stand here and watch that again….I refuse."

Duke was about to say something, when Dr. Ericson walked into the room.

" So…which one of you should I kill first?"

Phil turned around and tilted his head.

" What do you mean?"

" Nosedive refuses to go to therapy and when I asked him why….his response was " What's the point…I am never going to skate again, I am never going to go back to school…I'm never going to amount to anything."

So like I said…which one of you do I kill first?"

Everyone turned their head and stared at their captain.

" What did you do?"

Closing his eyes again and placing his two fingers on the sides of his nose, Wildwing took a few minutes before answering.

" I told the president of the NHL that Nosedive will not be joining us for the first game."

Dr. Ericson looked at the duck for a few minutes then responded.

" Wow…you're a jerk."

Then the doctor left the room.

No one really said anything after the doctor left because they were all silently agreeing with him…Wildwing was being a selfish jerk. After a few more minutes went by, Canard suddenly smiled and started jumping around, like a child at Christmas time.

" I have an idea….I'll be right back."

Then he pulled out his phone, walked into the hallway and dialed a number.

" _Yeah…hello."_

" Klegghorn…its Canard…I need you to do me a favor?"

" _Sure…what's up?"_

" I know you guys still have the kids phone so I was wondering if you can look up a number for me?"

" _Yeah…hold on and let me grab it."_

A few seconds later, Klegghorn came back on.

" _Ok…what's the name?"_

" It's Mark."

" _Wait….isn't that the guy from rehab?"_

Smiling and laughing, the duck responded.

" Yes it is…."

" _I thought Wildwing really didn't like him."_

" He doesn't….that's why I am calling him."

After talking a few more minutes, Canard hung up with Klegghorn, then called Mark.

While Canard was in the hallway, the rest of the team stood at the window watching him.

" I wonder who he's talking too?"

" I have no clue sweetheart, but I am sure we will find out."

Duke then walked away from the window and joined Wildwing, at the table.

" So…who would have thought one phone call can cause this much damage….its interesting really."

Wildwing smirked.

" All I am trying to do is take care of him….that's all….he didn't come with a manual or a guide book….I am doing this all on my own."

" We know you are, but maybe…you should leave the decision making to us for awhile."

" Maybe you're right."

Just then Canard walked back into the room, but with a even bigger smile on his face.

" Someone has to go back to the pond and clean up the guest room."

Mallory stared at her co-captain like he was crazy.

" Why?"

" Because we are going to have a visitor for awhile."

" Who?"

" You will all see tomorrow."

Then the duck left the room laughing while the others looked on even more confused then before.

**AN: I am so sorry if this chapter is crap…I really didn't know what to write and I wanted to post an update, but I promise the next chapter will be better. Thanks again for reading and I apologize for the long awaited new chapter and that its rushed.**


	12. Someone Helps while Someone Leaves

**AN: Thank you for all your reviews and I am really happy everyone enjoyed the last chapter, even though I still think I could have done better. But anyway here is the next chapter…lets hope Mark will be able to talk some sense into our fallen friend and help him heal. **

The next morning, Nosedive was sitting in his wheelchair refusing to budge, while Wildwing, Duke, and Phil looked on."

" I thought you wanted to walk out of here?"

" I do…"

" Well I don't mean to be sarcastic here, but to do that, you need to use your two feet and walk…which you refuse to do."

Nosedive crossed his arms and looked away.

" What's the point….even if I do start walking again…thanks to Bozo the big mouth over there, I wont be skating in the first game…so again I ask you…what's the point."

Dr. Ericson scratched his head then gave a hard dirty look, towards Wildwing.

" I hope you understand…I am holding you personally responsible for this."

The said duck was about to protest, when Nosedive turned his chair around to face everyone.

" The doc is right…this is all your fault and I hope you are freaking happy about this! You and your god damn big mouth! You always manage to take away everything that makes me happy and now you ruined everything!"

Wildwing held out his hands and got up from the chair.

" Whoa…time out here…when did I suddenly turn into the bad guy?"

" When you took away my privileges to skate with my team!"

" How many times do I have to say I'm sorry before it sinks in your head?"

Nosedive closed his eyes and shrugged.

" Oh and another thing…what else did I take away from you that made you oh so happy?"

Wiping away the tears, Nosedive turned and gave his big brother a cold, hard glare.

" You took away my life?"

Wildwing returned the look with just as much force.

" How did I ruin your life…I wasn't the one driving the car that hit you."

Nosedive started breathing so rapidly that everyone thought he was going to start to hyperventilate.

" You forced me into rehab….if you just let me stay home, where I belonged, then none of this would have happened in the first place!"

Knowing it was their time to leave, Phil mouthed " We should go" and the three of them left the room, so the brothers could hash out any unsettled issues they might have.

Once the room was empty, Wildwing looked at his brother, with unshed tears in his eyes. Making sure there was shock and confusion in his voice, the team captain softly whispered, because he knew that if he spoke louder, his voice would crack.

" I can't believe you are still blaming me for that. What would you rather have me do…watch you slowly kill yourself or get you the help that you needed…that I couldn't provide for you?"

Noticing his baby brother wasn't saying anything, Wildwing continued.

" I'm sorry if I ruined your life, but I didn't want to wake up one morning and find you dead because of an overdose!"

Wiping away tears, Nosedive wheeled himself over to the window, and looked out.

" Why don't you have more faith in me?"

Out of everything the older duck expected his brother to say, that was certainly not it.

" What?"

" I said…." As he turned around to face his brother. " Why don't you have more faith in me?"

Again, the older duck just stood there in shock.

" What are you taking about?"

" Canard came into my room last night, after you all left, and he told me why you did what you did….so I will ask again….why don't you have more faith in me?"

Taking a deep breath and rubbing his face with his hands, Wildwing grabbed a chair and sat across from the younger duck.

" Its not that I don't have faith in you because I do…its just….I know you Dive…I know the looks you give me and the team…you want a drink, you want to get high. Whether if it's a sip of this or a puff of that….you are willing to do anything, for an escape from this hellhole… however I just don't know how strong that feeling is…and that scares the shit out of me."

After a few minutes of silence, Nosedive looked up at his brother and sighed.

" You're right I do…it felt good yesterday, not knowing where I was…I missed that feeling. But Wildwing…you still betrayed me…you took away my reason for getting out of here…"

Leaning out of the chair, Wildwing tried to take his brothers hand, but Nosedive quickly moved it away.

" Dive….I know I did and I am truly sorry…."

" I think its best if you don't come around for awhile….and when I finally get released from this wonderful establishment…I just don't want to see you. I'm sorry but this is the way it has to be right now…I just can't forgive you for what you did."

Wildwing again tried reaching for his brother, but again when Nosedive moved away, the duck sniffed, nodded his head, then got up from the chair and walked out of the room.

After he closed the door behind him, Wildwing just stood there in absolute shock. He didn't know where to go or what to do first. He thought he was doing the right thing by protecting his baby brother, but it seemed like when he tried to protect him, it only pushed Nosedive away.

Still not knowing what he was going to do, the young duck walked down the hall towards the elevator, hoping that a drive might clear his head.

" So…I take it, by the look on your face, your screaming match with Nosedive didn't end well?"

Wildwing walked back towards the waiting area and noticed Canard was sitting in one of the chairs, with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed.

Returning the smirk, Wildwing slowly made his way towards his friend.

" You guessed right…he doesn't want me at the hospital anymore….in fact….

Spotting an empty chair next across from Canard, Wildwing fell into it. " He doesn't even want me near him, when he gets home."

Canard didn't know how to respond to that at all. A part of him wanted to reach out to his friend and tell him everything was going to be ok and that Nosedive would come around, but the other part of him knew the kid was hurt by his brothers actions and that Wildwing needed to pay.

And as much as he hated making the guy feel any worse, Canard thought this was a good time to inform him on their upcoming guest.

" Um…as much as I hate to kick someone when they are already down…there is something you should know…. I did something….something at you are not going to like….especially now."

Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Wildwing slumped into the chair.

" Just tell me please, so I can get the rest of this bloody day over with."

Canard thought for a few minutes before gulping.

" Well….I might have, sort of, kind of….invited someone to stay with us, for awhile…to help the kid get better."

Wildwing shot up and raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

" Canard…who did you invite?"

" Mark….from rehab….his plane landed an hour ago…Phil was going to take him to the pond to drop of his stuff, then bring him here…they should be in shortly."

Wildwing didn't know what to say, but he knew that if he didn't say something soon, he would probably go insane, but instead of screaming and making a scene, Wildwing decided to do the exact opposite, but in a faint whisper.

" Um…ok….ok…I'm glad he'll be here to help…I mean since I screwed up royally right…it will be good to have someone stand by his side right? I guess I should get going now since I'm really not needed nor wanted here…"

As the duck was getting up, Canard grabbed his arm to stop him.

" Wing….don't…."

" Honestly…its ok…I'll be fine…I better go."

Then Wildwing turned around and walked briskly towards the elevator, leaving Canard stunned and confused.

Once the young duck left the hospital, he walked to his car, climbed in, and just sobbed from his breaking heart.

After he started calming down, Wildwing picked up his cell phone and called Phil.

" Phil….its me…I need you to do me a favor?'

" Wildwing….what's wrong…are you ok?"

" Yeah I'm fine…look can you pull some of your strings and get me a hotel room somewhere…I need to get away for awhile."

" Are you sure….the season starts in a couple of weeks…."

" I know Phil, but I just….really need to get away."

" Ok…if you say so….when do you want to leave?"

" As soon as possible."

Then the team captain, hung up the phone and made his way to the pond so he could pack.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Nosedive was sitting in his room, reading the latest Batman comic book, when he heard a voice, coming from the doorway.

" If you wanted a vacation that bad, I'm sure Phil or Wildwing could have arranged something."

The teen lifted up his head and came face to face with Mark.

" MARK….Oh my god….what are you doing here!"

Laughing, Mark walked into the room, gave the teen a hug, then grabbed a chair and sat down.

" I heard about your accident, so I wanted to visit and see how you were doing."

" You have no idea how good it is to see you."

" Well…believe me kid, the feeling is mutual…So now….what's this I hear you don't want to go to therapy anymore?"

Closing his eyes, Nosedive took a deep breath and explained everything.

Once he was finished, Mark looked at his friend and sighed.

" Listen Dive….I know your upset at Wildwing right now, but that shouldn't keep you from learning how to walk."

" I know…its just that…skating with the team again was the only thing keeping going, and now that's been shattered."

Nodding his head, Mark got up from the chair, walked outside, and two seconds later came back to the room, but with a wheelchair.

" Look….all you are doing right now is sitting here and feeling sorry for yourself, and that's not helping you heal either…so this is what we are going to do…I am going to wheel you down to therapy myself and we are not leaving the room, until you are out of this chair…do you understand?"

The teen crossed his arms and glared at his friend.

" Mark…I am not going…I'm sorry to say this, but I am not going."

Mark shrugged his shoulders, then walked over to the bed, picked Nosedive up in his arms…." Hey what are you doing" and put him into the chair.

" This is for your own good."

Then he wheeled him down to therapy.

" Are you sure you want to do this?"

" Look…Phil….for the last time yes. Nosedive doesn't want me at the hospital with him nor does he want me here when he gets discharged, so I figure the best way to make everyone happy…is for me to disappear for a while."

Phil ran into the bedroom, and stopped Wildwing from throwing a shirt, into the suitcase.

" But what do I tell the kid…or the team….when they asked why you left?"

Wildwing shrugged his shoulders and continued packing.

" Your smart enough….you figure it out."

Then the captain walked out of the bedroom, and headed towards the garage, with Phil still trying to talk some sense.

" Wildwing…please…the kid is just upset…he's been through so much in the past year…he doesn't know what he wants."

But instead of responding to his manager, Wildwing loaded up his car then opened the drivers side door.

" Wildwing…you don't have to do this…"

" Phil…let go of the door…and yes I do."

Then he slammed the car door, and drove off, leaving Phil in the empty garage.


	13. Phone Call

**AN: I am so sorry it took me so long for this update, I had so many ideas in my head for this chapter and I didn't know which one to go with. But here it is, and I hope you all enjoy it. Please read and review thanks 3**

While Nosedive was in therapy with Mark, the rest of the team met up with Phil to have an emergency team meeting.

When they arrived at the pond. They spotted their manager pacing back and forth on the ice, while mumbling something incoherent.

" Ok Phil….what's going on?"

The man spun around so fast, he ended up slipping on the ice and crashing down hard.

" Don't do that…you guys are going to be the death of me I swear."

Helping their friend up, Duke and Grin slowly guided Phil to the bleachers.

" So…what's the emergency?"

Phil looked up at his team and gave them the dirtiest look he could come up with.

" Look around you…who's missing, besides the obvious!"

Looking around the arena, the team shrugged and glanced back at their boss.

" Wildwing you morons…Wildwing is the one missing!"

Still not understanding what the big deal was, Canard pulled out his cell phone.

" Relax Phil….I'll call him and tell him about the meeting…."

Phil threw up his hands and flew up from the chair.

" You are not grasping what I am trying to tell you….Wildwing is gone….he is not here…he left!"

After a couple of seconds, the teams reaction turned from confused, to shocked, to back to being confused.

Finally able to find her voice, Mallory got up, grabbed Phil, and forced him to sit back down.

" What do you mean he left?"

" I mean he packed his bag, climbed into the car, and drove off!"

" Did you try to stop him?"

Phil looked up and gave the girl a hard glare.

" No Mallory…I helped he pack, and waved goodbye…of course I tried to stop him!"

Before Mallory could retaliate Canard quickly stepped in between the two of them.

" That's enough! The last thing we need right now is to start fighting amongst ourselves. Now Phil…did he say why he was leaving?"

Giving Mallory one more dirty look, Phil scratched his head and sighed.

" Yes…He said that since Nosedive didn't want him near by, he thought it would be a good idea if he left, so he wouldn't end up causing more stress."

" But I still don't understand…we need him…the season starts soon and we are already down one player, if Wildwing doesn't come back, then we wont be able to play."

Phil looked into Canards eyes and saw the same look of anxiety, the same look of betrayal.

" I know Canard…believe me I know."

The young duck and his manager continued to stare, as if having a silent conversation just between them, when all of a sudden they broke away and looked at the rest of the team.

" Ok this is what we are going to do….since Canard is the co-captain, he is going to start making up a practice schedule…I want you guys on the ice by the end of the week. As for Nosedive…depending on how is therapy session went today, I want him out of the hospital and signed up for out patient therapy, which Tanya, you will be in charge of. Duke, Grin….what I want you two to do is get the fitness room ready…I want Nosedive to have his therapy sessions here. Now last but not least…our wonderful leader. Mallory, I am going to give you the info on the hotel he is staying at, you are going to try and coax him into coming back."

Then Phil got up and gave each one a very hard, stern glare.

" I want all of you to listen and listen good cause I'm only saying this once. We are a team, we are a family, but lately we haven't been acting like that at all and that ends tonight. We have three weeks, do you hear me, three weeks to get this team back in shape and so help me god if you don't play your first game, I will make sure all of your publicity stunts are pure hell. Do I make myself clear?"

After getting a nod of approval, Phil turned towards the door.

" Now you all know what you have to do, so I suggest you do it!"

Before he walked out of the door, Duke called out and stopped him.

" What are you going to do?"

Phil turned around and smiled.

" I have a spoiled brat to take care of."

Then he closed the door and the team dispersed to do what they were told.

Meanwhile back at the hospital, Nosedive and Mark were sitting in the room watching TV and eating lunch, when Phil and Klegghorn walked in.

" Hey Phil, hey captain come pull up some chairs and sit down with us, while we feast on food and corrupt our minds with nonsense cartoons."

Smirking at the teens behavior, Klegghorn walked over to the remote and turned off the TV.

" Hey man…we were watching that."

" That's nice. Hey Mark….would you mind stepping out for a bit, we would like to have a nice chat with the kid?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Mark stepped out of the room, leaving the teen with the two adults.

After a brief moment of silence, Nosedive sighed

" So….what's so important that you have to interrupt my show?"

Phil and Klegghorn exchanged glances then after getting a nod from the police captain, Phil began.

" First off I thought you should know, your brother left this morning. I don't know how long he is going to be gone nor do I know if he is coming back, so I hope you're happy with your childish behavior. "

Nosedive started to interrupt him, but Phil threw up his hand to stop him.

" Did I say I was finished talking, because I don't believe I did. Now where was I…or yes now I remember…I spoke to your doctor and you are getting discharged tomorrow, however that doesn't mean you are going to lounge around all day….you are going to have out patient therapy three times a day. You are going to exercise your ass off and so help me god, the first time you complain about it, not only will you be benched on the first game but for the whole season as well….and don't think I wont do that because I will!"

Knowing Nosedive wasn't going to say anything in fear of being benched, Klegghorn cleared his throat.

" Now its my turn, and please don't think I am going to be nice because you are sadly mistaken. Do you have any idea how much this team sacrificed for you! And how do you repay them…by acting like a spoiled selfish brat! Yes you had an accident and yes we feel bad that it happened, but Nosedive you need to open your eyes and realize that we can only do so much, if you want to skate with this team, you have to work on that. Yes its going to be painful and yes it will be hard, but for your goals to happen you have to work on them….and work hard is what you will do!"

Nosedive didn't know what to say, he couldn't believe he was being scolded like he was two. Didn't they understand he was in the hospital, didn't they understand how much it hurt to try and walk. However instead of mentioning any of that, his first thoughts were of his brother.

" Where is Wildwing staying?"

Phil smirked and crossed his arms.

" Give me one reason why I should tell you that…after the way you treated him, your lucky I told you anything in the first place."

Nosedive rolled his eyes and sighed. He couldn't believe they were talking Wildwings side.

" Ok….now its my turn to talk….what is with everyone taking his side for….doesn't anyone remember what he did. He told everyone on national TV that I was not going to play this season! He betrayed me….am I the only one who remembers that!"

Phil got up from the chair and pulled Nosedive down closer to him.

" The only reason why he did that was because you stopped fighting! You just gave up, instead of going for the gold! You wanted to walk out of here, but you refused to work for it! Well guess what, your doing the exact opposite, your getting wheeled out of here!

Knowing his blood pressure was rising, Phil took a couple deep breaths before he spoke again.

" Now this is what you are going to do…you are going to take my cell phone and you are going to call your brother, then you are going to tell him you getting discharged tomorrow and that you are going to start out patient therapy, and after that is all done you are going to apologize for the way you acted."

Nosedive was getting ready to protest but stopped when he heard a quiet voice in the background.

" Hello"

Giving the two men a dirty look, Nosedive rolled his eyes and answered.

" Hey bro."

" Dive…why are you calling me from Phil's phone…is everything ok…are you ok…what's wrong?"

Laughing softly, Nosedive smiled and shook his head.

" Relax will yah….everything is fine. I just didn't have my phone on me, so I decided to borrow Phil's."

There was a brief pause before Wildwing replied.

" Oh ok….so whats up?"

" The reason why I am calling you is to inform you I will be leaving the hospital tomorrow. Phil pulled some strings so I am going home."

" That's great Dive…I'm really happy for you."

" Thanks…I wont be walking out of here, like I wanted to, but that's ok."

" Well that's ok…taking baby steps is a good way to start. You don't want to rush into anything, and end up causing more damage."

For some strange reason, the more Nosedive talked to his brother, the more he was actually starting to regret everything he said.

" So what's this I hear, you took a vacation?"

" That's right I did."

" When will you be coming home?"

" I don't know yet Dive, I haven't really thought about it."

All of a sudden, Nosedive realized his chest was starting to get tight, and there was a lump forming in his throat.

" Are you ever coming home?"

" We'll see. Listen Dive, I have to run, but thanks for calling, and I'm thrilled you being discharged."

And with that said, the two brothers hung up.

Once he was done, the tears just started to flow.

" My brother hates me"


	14. Understanding the Problem

**AN: First off I want to apologize for the late update, I've been having so many ideas in my head its been really hard trying to piece them all together. Also another thing is I want to apologize if this is really short, because an idea came to me and I wanted to post it before I forgot about it.**

**Now I want to set the mood for this. I was listening to the song " Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift, so if you want to listen to it, while you are all reading then you will kind of understand the mood I was going for.**

**Anyway enough of me rambling here is the new chapter. Enjoy.**

When Phil pulled into the garage, Nosedive suddenly felt very scared and vulnerable. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he wanted to go back to the hospital, he hated being at the pond, especially since Wildwing wasn't there. Thinking about his brother again, caused the teen to let out a very long, sad sigh. He couldn't believe he actually left and it was all because of him.

Phil turned off the car, then turned towards the teen, who was now leaning up against the window and just staring out into space. He hated seeing the teen like this, and a part of him wanted to take Nosedive back to the hospital and leave him there until Wildwing decided to come home, but he knew deep down, he couldn't do that.

" So…do you want to stay in the car, or do you want to get out?"

Nosedive looked over at his manager and shrugged his shoulders.

" I don't care….whatever you want to do is fine."

" Why don't we get you settled then you can take a nap, because you look tired."

Nosedive gave his manager a sad smile then turned his head back to the window.

After getting the teen out of the car and into his room, so he could sleep, the rest of the team were sitting around the kitchen having a serious conversation.

" Tanya…what with the depression…I thought if he was home, he would be feeling better….this doesn't look like better to me?"

Tanya looked at everyone and started cleaning her glasses.

" Guys…he just needs time to adjust to being home again. I mean the last time he was here, he had working legs. Just give him time and I promise he will feel better."

Duke poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down.

" And with Wildwing not here…that's probably affecting him too. I mean the kid is used to him being here and helping him through everything, but now its different."

Phil looked around the room and said the one thing that was on everyone mind.

" What do we do?"

But instead of giving answers, they all just shrugged.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Nosedive managed to get out of bed and into his chair. He was tired of laying in a bed, he wanted to do something, but looking down at his useless legs, just upset him even more. He was about to wheel himself to the living room, when he spotted a picture of himself and his friends, sitting on top of Phil's car laughing and enjoying themselves.

Realizing he was never going to be able to have fun with his friends, he threw the picture frame across the room, and it shattered against the wall.

When he heard the glass braking, something in him snapped, so he picked up a hockey puck from him dresser and threw that against the mirror by his bed, which caused that to shatter into pieces.

One by one everything that was within reach, he either threw it against something or smashed it onto the floor

For about fifteen minutes that's all he did all the while hoping that he would start feeling like himself.

While this was going on, Duke, Mark, Phil, and Mallory were sitting in the living room, watching TV when the first sound of glass breaking was heard.

Turning down the volume, they looked around at each other, then after finally understanding where the noise was coming from, they jumped from the couch and ran into Nosedive's room, where they came face to face, with a room full of broken glass and a broken hearted teenager, crying hysterically on the floor.

Mallory quickly left the room, to grab a dustpan and broom, while Phil carefully sat down onto the floor next to the teen.

" Nosedive…its ok….everything is going to be ok."

The said teen, looked up then threw himself at Phil.

" I'm so sorry….I want to learn how to walk again….I want my brother to come home….I want to skate again….please don't give up on me….please Phil….promise me you wont give up on me."

Phil wrapped his arms around the said teen and just rocked him back and forth.

" I wont give up on you….I never gave up on you. I swear…we will all help you walk again and we will bring your brother home…I promise."

While Phil and Nosedive were on the floor, Mark, Mallory, and Duke started cleaning up the kids room, making sure all the glass was cleaned all.

Once the room was finally cleaned and noticing Nosedive cried himself to sleep, Mallory tucked the teen into bed, and after making a silent promise to the sleeping duck, the four friends, left the room to start planning Nosedive's physical therapy sessions.

**AN: Again I am so sorry that this is so short and I promise the next chapter will be longer. Also I really didn't know how to end it, so when this came to me, I thought that was a good way to end things.**


	15. Standing on Your Own Two Feet

**AN: I just want to thank everyone for all the reviews and I am having a lot of fun writing this. Now since I posted a short chapter last time, I wanted to make sure this was a long one. Also another thing when I was writing this, I was playing around with some work out music and Adam Lamberts " Whataya Want From Me." gave me some of the inspiration. Anyway enjoy and please read and review."**

Once his room was cleaned up and everyone was in bed, Nosedive, instead of going to sleep, thought about the days events.

He couldn't believe he acted like a two year old. It was no wonder why Wildwing didn't want to be around him, in fact he didn't even want to be around himself.

Sighing, Nosedive picked up his cell phone and went to call his brother, but for some reason he just couldn't do it. He didn't want Wildwing to know about what happened. I mean sure he wanted his big brother home, but not that way.

Turning his head, Nosedive spotted a teddy bear, his brother bought him, sitting on the chair, so he reached over and picked it up then laid back down.

" So…how am I ever going to make up for my childish behavior?"

Nosedive laughed to himself because, like most people who talk to teddy bears, he was waiting for an answer.

" The start of the season is coming up and at first the team was down one player, which was fine because Canard could have taken my place, but now we are down two players and that's because of me. I just want to help, but I don't really know how to do that?"

Just then an idea formed into his head.

" Thanks for the advice oh wise teddy bear friend."

After giving the bear a big smooch on the cheek, Nosedive placed him on the bed, then grabbed his communicator.

" You know…its only 1 am and they are going to be pretty upset that I am waking them up so early, but this is important."

The teen then grabbed his comm and made his announcement.

" Excuse me all you sleepy heads…I need everyone to meet me down on the ice in ten minutes or else!"

Rolling out of bed, Nosedive threw on a sweatshirt then went down to the ice to wait for his team.

Ten minutes later five ducks and two humans, who looked very grumpy and annoyed were all sitting on the bleachers, in the cold arena.

" Ok Nosedive…what's the big idea waking us up at this time of night!"

Nosedive turned his chair to make sure he was facing everyone before he began.

" Because the new season is less than two weeks away, we are down two players, and we have no plan."

Canard blinked his eyes a couple times in hopes that it would help him wake up.

" Kid…listen I know your upset right now, but we have this under control. Now I say we all go back to bed and worry about this in the morning."

Everyone nodded in agreement and started to get up but stopped when Nosedive blocked the entrance.

" And I say you all sit your asses down and listen to what I have to say."

At first no one sat down, but when Grin saw the determined look on his small friends face, he sat down.

" A bird cannot learn to fly without the help of the other birds."

Shrugging their shoulders and sighing in defeat, the team sat down and gave Nosedive their undivided attention.

" I don't know about you all, but ever since the accident I've been acting like a spoiled brat. Always picking fights with Wildwing, its no wonder he left when he did. Now I am sick and tired of living in this chair, and I am sick and tired of feeling sorry for myself. I want to get out of this chair and I want to do it now!"

After a few moments of silence, Mark sat up and gave Nosedive a hard look.

" You do understand its going to hurt right and its not going to be like a walk in the park…you actually have to participate."

Nosedive looked around and stared at his friends faces. They wanted to believe the kid, they really did, but Nosedive said all of this before.

Realizing he had to prove to them that he was serious, he put his two hands onto the ledge, and pulled himself straight up.

While the team looked at him in shock, Nosedive, who was breathing very fast, gave his team a hard stern glare.

" Help me get out of this chair and lets bring our captain home."

After they all left the ice and went back to the living area, Mark grabbed a notebook then joined the others in the living room.

" Ok Nosedive…you need to work on your lower body strength and your upper body strength. The upper body is easy, it's the lower body we need to work on. Now we need to build up the muscles in your legs, so Tanya and Duke…I want you two to get him in the pool. Have him do laps, once or two times around the pool and see how he does, and then if you think he can do it then increase the number. Another thing he needs to work on is his knees. Canard and Grin what I want you two to do is help him walk up and down stairs. Take him to the arena and just have him walk up and down the stairs between the aisles, that way the blood will start pumping through his legs a lot faster."

" How many times do you want him to do that?"

Mark thought about it before answering.

" Like with the pool, once or twice depending on how he does, then if you feel he is able increase it."

After writing down a few more notes, Mark looked at Mallory and smiled.

" Now you Mallory have the most important job. You, being in the military, have the important task of getting him to run. I want you to take him to a park and just get him to run. Slow at first, just to see how he does, then gradually speed up the process."

Then Mark looked over and noticed Nosedive was practically bouncing.

" So Dive….when do you want to start?"

The said teen looked up and gave his famous " I didn't do it " smiles.

" Can we start now?"

Mark looked at everyone then back at the teen and returned his smile.

" Sure"

" Come on Nosedive…that's it you can do it! Just give me one more lap!"

After swimming around two more times, Nosedive swam to the edge and met up with Duke and Tanya.

" Do you want to stop and rest or do you want to keep going?"

Bopping up and down, in the water, Nosedive looked around then smiled at his two friends.

" I want to keep going!"

Returning the teens smile, the two ducks walked back to their chairs.

" Ok kid, give us five more laps around the pool."

While Dive was swimming around the pool, Mark walked in and sat in between Duke and Tanya.

" How is he doing?"

Duke turned his head back to the water and smiled.

" Seeing on how that's his 7th lap around the pool, I would say he's doing pretty damn good."

" Excellent. Let him do three more laps, then pull him out so we can eat breakfast."

Then Mark walked away, while Duke yelled his instructions.

Once breakfast was over, Canard and Grin took Nosedive to the top of the arena.

" Now…I know there are a lot of stairs, so don't get discouraged. Just take them one step at a time and you can always take a break when you get tired."

Nodding his head, Nosedive pulled himself out of the chair and grabbed hold of the nearest reeling.

" don't be afraid Dive…I'm going to be right behind you and Grin is in front of you, so don't worry if you fall because we will catch you."

Nodding his head again, Nosedive held onto the reeling for dear life, while he tried to go down the first step, but after a few tries, he froze.

" I cant do this…its too hard."

" Little friend…I have an idea that might help you. Try turning your body to your right while holding onto the reeling, that way all of your weight is to one side."

Looking at his big friend. Nosedive relaxed himself and did just what Grin said and before he knew it, he went down four stairs.

" I did it…I climbed stairs!"

Grin and Canard returned the teens smile and then the three friends started going up and down the stairs like pros.

After they left the arena, Mallory thought it was best if Nosedive took a nap before they went to the park, so three hours later and feeling more refreshed than ever, Mallory and Nosedive were sitting by a pond watching ducks swim around.

" How do you feel after your morning workout?"

Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes to enjoy the sunshine, Nosedive smiled.

" I feel so much better. I should have done all of this a long time ago. Maybe if I did, Wildwing wouldn't have left."

" Well don't you worry. He'll be home soon and when he is, you will be able to walk towards him."

Nosedive smiled when the thought of him and his brother back together again, popped into his head.

" I know we are supposed to run around the park, but since you still arent that great on your feet, how about we just sit here and enjoy the warm weather."

" Sound like a plan to me."

So the two friend talked about everything and anything under the sun

The next morning, after everyone was done eating breakfast, Mark and Phil took the teen to a nearby gym.

" Ok I want you to give me push ups and crunches. Then after that and if I think you are able to we are going to start slow on a treadmill."

Nodding his head, Nosedive started to lay down on a mat, but stopped.

" Wait a minute…what are push ups going to do?"

Mark kneeled down in front of him, while Phil laid down next to him.

" Push ups are going to give you upper body strength, but lets not worry about that until later…right now we are going to concentrate on your lower body…so what I want you to do is, while I hold your feet down, left yourself up."

Nodding his head, Nosedive laid down and tried lifting, but ended up falling back down.

" Why can't I do this?"

Phil looked at Mark, then turned his attention to the teen.

" Because you don't have a lot of strength in your body, but we are going to try and change that, so why don't you watch me do a few crunches and then you can try it…ok?"

After watching Phil a few times, Nosedive took a deep breath, laid back down, closed his eyes, and managed to lift himself half way up.

" I did it….I actually did it!"

Smiling at his friends enthusiasm, Mark laughed.

" Yes you did…now give me four more."

After doing twenty crunches and ten push ups, Mark took Dive to a nearby treadmill.

" Now just for right now, you are going to use a low speed, but once you start to feel confident, I'll move up the speed."

Dive looked on, while Mark adjusted the time and the speed.

" How long do I need to do this for?"

" I set it for ten minutes, that way your mind and body have time to adjust to the fact that your using your two feet. Now get ready because the belt is going to move ok.

Holding onto the bars, Dive braced himself while the belt below him started to move.

At first he really didn't know what to do, but then all of a sudden something inside him clicked, and before he knew what was happening, Nosedive was moving his feet and he was walking.

" Phil…Mark…look…I'm walking…I'm actually walking!"

Smiling through his tears, Phil lightly patted in teens shoulder.

" I'm really proud of you kid."

That night, while Dive was asleep everyone else was sitting around the kitchen talking about the past two days.

" You should have seen his face today, he was practically bouncing when he realized he was walking."

Laughing, Duke collected all the empty cups of coffee and sat them down in the sink.

" So…Mark…how do you think he is doing?"

" A hell of a lot better then he was before. His legs aren't hurting him as much which is a very good sign and he is getting stronger every day. Now does he have the feeling back into his legs…I don't know, but if he keeps up with all the progress he's been making, I'm confident he'll start gaining some feeling soon."

" What about skating…do you think he can do it?"

Mark took a deep breath and looked at each team member before answering.

" If he comes up to me, with skates and said he wants to try….I would let him try. I believe he will be able to skate again."

Smiling and nodding their heads, everyone seemed happy with that answer.

When Nosedive woke up the following morning, the first thing he realized was that he wasn't as stiff or sore as he was the pervious day and that pleased the teen very much.

" Good…maybe that's a sign that my body is liking the new macho me."

Laughing to himself, Nosedive sat up and looked around the room. He knew he needed to hit the bathroom first, but he didn't know what mode of transportation he was going to use, which slightly puzzled him.

After thinking about it a few more minutes, the teen took a deep breath and slowly stood up from the bed.

Feeling extremely proud of himself that he was standing by himself, the teen took another deep breath and stared at the object of his affection, his bathroom door.

" Ok Nosedive…you can do this. Its only five feet from where you are standing now…you can do this…just concentrate and you can walk."

While he continued to stare at his bathroom door, the said teen dragged his right foot a little bit in front of him then dragged his left foot.

" Ok…this might take awhile."

Putting a determined look on his face, Nosedive closed his eyes, said a silent prayer, then very slowly lifted his right leg up and place it in front of him, then he did the same thing with his left foot.

Trying really hard not to get excited, because he knew that would cause him to loose focus, Nosedive stared at the bathroom door and then lifted his right leg and then his left, and then before he knew it, he was at the bathroom.

Now getting really excited he did the only thing he could think of…he screamed for everyone.

" DUKE…MALLORY…PHIL…GRIN…TANYA…MARK….CANARD….YOU'VE GOT TO COME IN HERE HURRY!"

Meanwhile, everyone was sitting in the living room either reading the paper or watching the morning news, when they heard the teen scream. Thinking that there was something wrong, the team got up and ran into Nosedive's bedroom.

" Nosedive…what is it…what's wrong?"

"Canard everyone….look!"

At first no one really responded because they thought something was wrong, but then slowly it dawned on them, that Nosedive was in the bathroom and that he was standing.

Canard was getting ready to walk towards the teen, but stopped when Nosedive held out his hand.

" I need you to stop and just stand where you are oh and don't move."

Nosedive then smiled and very slowly he started walking towards his co-captain, who was standing there in awe.

" Oh stars Nosedive…your walking…your actually walking!"

Tanya and Mallory started to silently cry tears of joy when they saw their youngest team mate walk over to Canard.

" Dive…we are so proud of you!"

Smiling through tears, Nosedive didn't stop walking until he was inches away from Canard.

" Hi."

Laughing and shaking his head, Canard returned the teary eyed smile.

" Hi Dive."

Then everyone walked over to the duo and pulled them into a group hug, because they were starting to become a team once again.


	16. Good Day gone Wrong

**AN: I am so sorry this is such a late update. I hate it when the real world gets in the way. Thank you for all the reviews I really appreciate everyone taking time out of their day and reading my story. Anyway here is the latest chapter. Enjoy and you know what to do. Peace.**

Once everyone calmed down from the early morning excitement, Phil walked over to the teen, who was now sitting on the couch, with his legs crossed and watching cartoons.

" Hey kid….I have an idea?"

Looking up from the TV, Dive tilted his head and smiled.

" What's up?"

" How would you like to hit the ice?"

A huge grin that reached from ear to ear developed on the young ducks face.

" Really…can we go right now?"

Grabbing Dive walker, Phil helped his stand up and the two of them went down to the rink and met up with the rest of the team.

Nosedive looked around nervously while he was being led by Canard and Mark.

" Ok kid…this is what we are going to do, as for right now, you are just going to walk around with the walker, just to get a feel for the ice, and once we feel that you are doing ok we will take away the walker and have you walk around with us."

Afraid that his voice might start shaking, Nosedive nodded his head.

Noticing his young teammate was scared, Duke smiled and walked next to the teen and place a hand on his shoulder.

" You know what…I'm actually in the mood for a leisurely walk around the ice…would you like some company?"

Taking a deep breath of relief, Nosedive nodded his head and the two friends slowly made their way around the ice.

While they were walking, Duke noticed Nosedive was very quiet and acting very shy.

" Is everything ok kid?"

Turning his head , Nosedive shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

" Yeah….I just miss Wildwing that's all. He was the first person who taught me how to skate. I want him to teach me again."

" I know you do kid. Believe me…we all miss Wildwing, but just remember you have us and we will be more than happy to teach you."

" I know it's just…."

Duke smiled and decided to finish the sentence for him.

" Not the same huh?"

Giving the ex thief a small smile, Nosedive returned is gaze back at the arena.

" Do you think I can try it without the walker?"

Duke was a little lenient, but when Dive gave him the big blue eyes look, Duke sighed.

" Ok…but just remember I'm right here."

Duke then went in front of Nosedive, and very slowly removed the walker. Not even five seconds after he did that, Nosedive fell flat on his butt.

" Kid…are you ok?"

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Nosedive tried to get back up, but ended up falling back down.

" Why can't I do this…if I can walk in my room then I should be able to walk on the ice."

Duke knelt down and helped the teen stand, but this time, kept his arm around him.

" Kid….your room has a carpet, that has better friction. This is ice…one wrong move and you'll fall."

" But I didn't even get a chance to make one move…I fell as soon as you took away that stupid thing."

Noticing his companion was now starting to get upset, Duke signaled the others to join him.

" Nosedive…why don't we take you back to your room, so you could rest…"

" No…I need to walk on this ice damn it…and no one is going to stop me!"

Then without thinking, Dive pushed Duke away and tried walking away, but he took two steps then fell head first, onto the ice.

Rolling his eyes, Canard picked up the unconscious teen, and they all made their way to the medi-bay.

" Is he going to be ok?"

Tanya looked over at the team and sighed.

" Other than the slight headache he is going to have, he'll be fine."

Mallory rolled her eyes then threw herself into a nearby chair.

" Why is it that whenever he takes two steps forward, something happens and he ends up going backwards?"

Grin sat down on the floor and closed his eyes.

" A bird needs to fall once, before he is able to fly."

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Canard was about to say something, when Phil walked in, looking very upset.

" Well….I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is everyone at the league is thrilled with the progress Nosedive is making….the bad news is the season starts next week and we are still down one player…if you don't find a replacement by then…we will have to forfeit the first game."

The team groaned and all started to wonder when this good day started going down hill.

**AN: I know this is a really short chapter, but I didn't really know what to write when it came to this chapter, so I am going to leave it at that. I promise the next chapter will be a lot longer.**


	17. A team once more

**AN; I am so sorry that this is such a late update. I promise I did not give up on this story, its just I had writers block and I had no clue where I wanted to take this chapter, but I am back and hopefully better than ever. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and I swear the next update is not going to take this long….in fact I am working on the next chapter right now, so don't worry. Anyway enjoy.**

After checking on Nosedive, who was now asleep, Phil walked into the living room, where the rest of the team was sitting around staring.

Knowing they were all waiting for him to start, Phil sat down, on a nearby chair and cleared his throat.

" So….we have a couple of options here…I could A) Call some grade B hockey teams and see if they are willing to give us one of their players. B) Call the league and tell them without Wildwing here we will forfeit the season. C) Work Nosedive as hard as we can so is he able to play next week or option D) I get off my ass, grab my cell phone and call our fearless leader and tell him to grow up and come home."

Sharing the same look, Duke leaned out of his chair and gave his manager a cold hard glare.

" I speak for myself and my team when I say….get up off your fat ass and call Wildwing."

Knowing the older duck meant business, Phil got up, grabbed his phone, and dialed the number.

" _Hello"_

" Now you listen and you listen good cuz I'm only saying this once….your going to pack up your stuff, check out of wherever your staying, then your going to get into your car and you are going to drive home. I'm sick and tired of your childish behavior…your team needs you and your brother needs you…man up and take up some responsibility. Now if you leave now, you should be getting home between 11:00 and midnight… I expect to see you then….do I make myself clear!"

There was a long pause on the other end, before the young duck answered.

" _I'll be there."_

Phil let out a breath, he didn't realize he was holding.

" Good…and Wildwing….if you ever leave this team and your brother like this again….so help me I will break you in half!"

" _I understand completely Phil. I see you soon."_

Once he hung up the phone, Phil turned and looked at his team.

" And the same goes for the rest of you….I will tear any of you to pieces if you ever do this to me again!"

Afraid of what he was going to say, the team silently nodded their head.

" Good"

Then Phil dialed another number.

" You can expect The Mighty Ducks to play their first game next Friday. Wildwing is coming home tonight. Oh don't you worry I will personally make sure he is ready for the game."

After hanging up with the league, Phil turned towards his team once more.

" Well….what are you waiting for….you have a game next Friday…out on the ice now!"

Without even blinking an eye, the team scurried out of the room and ran towards the arena.

Three hours later, the Mighty Ducks painfully walked into the living room.

" I have never seen Phil act like that before….what's gotten into him anyway?"

Canard grabbed some ice packs and handed them to each member.

" Well can you blame him….his captain took off, his best scorer still cant skate let along walk good. I'm sure he's getting crap from the league because of it."

Mallory huffed.

" That's still no excuse…he should be taking it out on Wildwing…not us."

Duke placed the ice on his knee and smirked.

" Oh don't worry sweetheart….after the way he talking to Wildwing earlier on the phone…I have no doubt Phil is going to be waiting for him when he gets home."

Just then Nosedive, with the aid of his walker, shuffled into the living room.

" I was just waking up, when I heard shouting….is everything ok?"

Tanya looked over at the teen and smiled.

" Uh….everything is fine Nosedive…why don't you try and go back to sleep."

" Nah I'm up now….and besides I'm hungry."

Looking around at everyone, Nosedive noticed the ice packs and the bruises.

" Why do you all look like you were run over?"

Canard stretched out his leg on the table and chuckled.

" We were practicing for next Friday's game."

Nosedive titled his head when he heard that.

" Next Friday's game….I thought we couldn't play because we were down a player?"

" Well we're playing now kid."

" Did Phil find someone?"

Canard didn't want to tell the teen Wildwing was coming home, just in case, so he decided to let Dive to think what he wanted.

" Kid don't worry about it."

Shrugging his shoulders, Nosedive was about to say something, when Phil walked in with a tray of pizza.

" Hey kid…your awake. Why don't you grab a slice of pizza and after your done eating I'll take you to the hot tub so you could relax your legs."

Nodding at the idea, Nosedive grabbed two slices then with the aid of Mark and Phil, the three of them made their way towards the pool area, while the rest ate their dinner and enjoyed the idea of them all being a team again.

When the trip finally made it back, from the pool area, it was going for 10, and knowing Nosedive if he found out his brother was due home, the teen would not go to sleep, so to make sure he stayed asleep, Tanya gave him a low dosage of sleeping pills, and Phil made sure he was out in 5 minutes, but not without promising to wake him for early morning practice.

Looking at his watch and shocked at it was almost 11, Phil stretched along the couch and put the news on.

" Would you like us to wait with you?"

Looking over at Canard, the man shook his head.

" Nah….you guys get some sleep. I think I'll be able to handle this one."

Knowing that there was a chance he wasn't going to have a best friend in the morning, Canard mumbled " Don't kill him until after the season" then went to bed. However he wasn't alone ten minutes when the garage door opened and their fearless leader, Wildwing Flashblade walked through the door.

At first the duck and human didn't say anything except stare at one another. Each one wondering what the other was thinking and who was going to go first. When the silence became too much to bare, Phil cleared his throat and motioned for Wildwing to sit down. After another moment of silence, Phil started to laugh.

" You know….I have no clue what to even say to you. I mean what do you say to the duck who, not only abandons his team when they are in need of his leadership, but also his baby brother when he needs him the most. Oh speaking of Dive…. he's walking now, but he refuses to go on the ice….because your not there! He doesn't want us….he wants you!"

Wildwing opened his mouth to say something, but Phil stopped him.

" I'm not done yet. How could you leave this team? We needed you. Do you have any idea how close we were to forfeiting this season because we are two players down…and don't you dare say we would have been fine because guess what Sherlock we wouldn't have been!"

" Can I say something now?"

Giving his captain a hard cold glare, Wildwing began.

" Your right….I shouldn't have left, but if I remember correctly Nosedive didn't want me here in the first place and you even helped me leave!"

" Yes I did and believe me when I say I shouldn't have let you leave in the first place. But you know what lets continue the discussion in the morning when the rest of the team can put their two cents in."

Nodding his head the young duck got up and headed towards his room.

" Wait there's something else that needs to be said."

Turning around, Wildwing faced his manager.

" Your job tomorrow is to get that kid back on the ice…become his big brother again. He needs you. And Wildwing….you leave team again I will make sure you live to regret it….understand?"

Nodding his head, Wildwing walked towards Nosedive's door and stopped in front of it.

" Can I at least see him?"

" We gave him some sleeping pills so he's knocked out cold. You can see him in the morning."

Giving the door one last look, Wildwing walked into his room and closed the door.

Groaning at the prospects of the long day ahead of him, Phil Palmfeather walked into his room and poured himself a glass of Scotch.

" These ducks are going to be the death of me"

Then he finished the glass in gulp and went to sleep himself all the while dreading the coming week.


End file.
